Children endure horrific conditions in armed conflict, according to the Annual Report of the United Nations Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict published this week. The year 2021 saw a deadly mix of conflict escalation, military coups and takeovers, protracted and new conflicts, as well as violations of international law, all of which had a devastating impact on the protection of children around the world. Cross-border conflict and intercommunal violence also impacted the protection of children, especially in the Lake Chad Basin and Central Sahel regions.
“There is no word strong enough to describe the horrific conditions that children in armed conflict have endured. Those who survived will be affected for life with deep physical and emotional scars. But we must not let these numbers discourage our efforts. They should serve as an impetus to reinforce our determination to end and prevent grave violations against children,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, while presenting the report on July 11 2022.
The UN report documents 23,982 verified grave human rights violations against children in 2021. The killing and maiming of children was the most verified grave violation followed by the recruitment and use of children by armed groups and the denial of humanitarian access. According to the report, 8,070 children were killed or maimed, increasingly by explosive remnants of wars, mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Children continue to be recruited and instrumentalized as child soldiers by warring parties; with 6,310 children affected; 3,945 incidents of denial of humanitarian access were verified. Children were most affected in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
Despite the harrowing figures for 2021 contained in the UN report, there was also significant progress achieved in some areas. Overall, 12,214 children were released from armed forces and groups including in the Central African Republic, Colombia, DR Congo, Myanmar, and Syria. While positive steps were recorded in some instances, other crises witnessed a worsening of the situation for children. Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Ukraine have been added to the Annual Report as situations of concern, reflecting the dramatic impact of hostilities on children in these areas.
Further information
Summary of the Annual Report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, released on July 11 2022
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Summary-of-the-Annual-Report-of-the-Secretary-General-on-Children-and-Armed-Conflict-2021-3.pdf
Full text: Annual Report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, released on July 11 2022
https://reliefweb.int/attachments/a999a934-cae1-482e-9c2a-6f25d686a1ff/Secretary-General-Annual-Report-on-children-and-armed-conflict.pdf
Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/