Secretary-General's 2023 Report on Violence against Children in Armed Conflicts

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In 2023, children living in conflict situations experienced violence in unbearable levels, shows a new report of the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict published today. Children have been recruited and used including at the frontlines, attacked in their homes, abducted on their way to schools, their schools were military used and their doctors targeted, and the dreadful list goes on.

The evolving nature, complexity, and intensification of armed conflict, as well as the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, has led to a shocking increase of grave violations against children in 2023. The UN Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which included for the first-time information on Haiti and Niger among the 25 situations and one regional monitoring arrangement on the Children and Armed Conflict agenda, revealed that 32,990 grave violations were verified against 22,557 children.

This unprecedented level of suffering was represented by an increase in most grave violations and continued high level in other grave violations in 2023. Children suffered from blatant disregard of their rights and of protections enshrined in international humanitarian and human rights law, including the right to life with 11,649 children killed and maimed, representing a 35 percent increase vis-a-vis last year’s report and representing the highest violation verified in the report. The number of children killed in 2023 (5,301) represents the equivalent of almost 15 children killed every day. This was followed by the recruitment and use of 8,655 children and the abduction of 4,356 children.

The highest numbers of grave violations were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria, and the Sudan. Roughly 50 percent of violations were committed by armed groups, including those designated as terrorist by the United Nations, whereas the rest were committed by government forces, and by unidentified perpetrators, such as landmines and improvised explosive devices. Armed groups were principally responsible for the abduction, the recruitment and use, and sexual violence against children, while government forces were the main perpetrators of killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals and related personnel, and denial of humanitarian access to children. The use of explosive weapons continued to have a disastrous impact, killing and maiming children and restraining the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The denial of humanitarian access (5,205) increased by 32 percent in 2023 compared to 2022. Underreporting due to stigmatization, fear of reprisals, harmful social norms, lack of services, impunity, and safety concerns, cases of conflict-related sexual violence against children (1,470) continue to be an issue which an increase by 25 percent compared to 2022. Finally, access to education and health services were compromised for thousands of children, with 1,650 attacks verified on schools and hospitals and related personnel.

‘The number of children enduring grave violations in 2023 as shown in the UN Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed conflict is a wakeup call. We are failing children. I call on the international community to recommit to the universal consensus to protect children from armed conflict and I call on States to fulfil their primary responsibility to protect their populations and respect all norms and standards applicable in the conduct of armed conflict situations. The United Nations stands ready to assist parties to conflict in developing a joint action plan to end and prevent the use and abuse of children in situation of armed conflict.” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba.

A glimpse of hope for children following engagement and progress by parties to conflict.

Despite multiplying and escalating crises, more than 10,600 children formerly associated with armed forces or groups received protection or reintegration support during 2023. Reintegration support is essential for their individual well-being and for the broader goals of social cohesion, economic development, and sustainable peace.

Throughout 2023, the United Nations commenced or sustained engagement with parties to conflict as was the case in the CAAC situations of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, the Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine and Yemen, some of which led to the adoption of measures aimed at providing better protection for children affected by armed conflict.

When engagement prospered and measures were put in place including through the signature of action plans and handover protocols, capacity building initiatives, unilateral commitments and bilateral dialogues, violations decreased and/or children were released from conflict. Decreases as a result of engagement and action plans were noted in Iraq, Mozambique, the Philippines, South Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen.

‘I reiterate my call to all parties to conflict to engage with me and the United Nations on the ground, to identify and implement measures to protect children from grave violations. It is time to work toward sustainable peace and it is time to create a better world for our children. No child should ever bear the brunt of an armed conflict’, concluded the Special Representative.

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Full Report