A child crying while people queue for food at a distribution point in Nuseirat, in the center of the Gaza Strip, on June 11, 2025. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP.)
From Gaza to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), violence against children in conflict zones has reached "unprecedented" levels in 2024, according to an annual U.N. report released Thursday.
"In 2024, violence against children in armed conflicts reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25% increase in grave violations compared to 2023," indicates the report by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The U.N. "verified" 41,370 grave violations against children in 2024, including 36,221 committed in 2024 and 5,149 committed previously but confirmed in 2024, marking the highest number since the implementation of this monitoring tool nearly 30 years ago. A record that surpasses that of 2023, which itself represented a 21% increase from the previous year.
With notably more than 4,500 killed and more than 7,000 injured, children continue to "bear the brunt of relentless hostilities" around the world, deplores the UN. Due to a notable increase in the number of children victims of multiple violations, the number of children affected by this violence reaches 22,495.
"The cries of these 22,495 innocent children who should have been learning to read or play ball, but instead have been forced to learn to survive shootings and bombings, should keep us all awake at night," stated Virginia Gamba, the UN special representative on this issue, in a statement. "This must serve as a wake-up call. We are at the point of no return."
Each year, the U.N. lists violations of children's rights (under the age of 18) in about twenty conflict zones around the world and includes in an annex the "list of shame" of those responsible for these violations, which include killed and maimed children, recruitment, abductions, denial of humanitarian access, or sexual violence.
Gang rapes
The Israeli armed and security forces, which were listed last year, along with Hamas, are still on it. The occupied Palestinian territories occupy the top spot of this sad ranking, with more than 8,500 grave violations mostly attributed to the Israeli forces, including more than 4,800 in Gaza.
This includes 1,259 Palestinian children killed in Gaza, according to figures confirmed by the U.N., which states it is verifying information on an additional 4,470 children killed in 2024 in the Palestinian territory ravaged by the war triggered by Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The report also blames Israel's operations in Lebanon, where more than 500 children were killed or injured by the Israeli army last year.
After the Palestinian Territories, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (more than 4,000 grave violations), Somalia (more than 2,500), Nigeria (nearly 2,500), and Haiti (more than 2,200) recorded the most violence against children in 2024.
In Haiti, where these violations increased by 490% in one year, the main gang coalition, "Viv Ansanm" (Live Together), was added to the "list of shame," for recruiting children, murders, or even gang rapes. A first that targets "probably the most brutal" of the gangs devastating the country, commented a U.N. official.
Also new to the list is the Colombian cartel Clan del Golfo accused of recruiting children. Colombia, in general, records a significant increase in forced recruitment cases, with 450 children in 2024 compared to 262 the previous year.
Also still on the "list of shame" are the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who have been clashing in Sudan for more than two years, as well as the Russian army for its actions in Ukraine, where the report records a 105% increase in grave violations between 2023 and 2024.