Children under attack

Every day, children living in wars across the globe are facing unspeakable horrors. They are not safe sleeping in their homes or playing outside, learning in school or seeking medical care at hospitals. From killing and maiming, abduction and sexual violence, to attacks on education and health facilities, and the denial of the humanitarian assistance that they desperately need, children are being caught in the crosshairs of warring parties at a staggering scale.

Alarming data

The UNICEF report “25 Years of Children and Armed Conflict” points at alarming data. Since 2005:

• • 104,100 are killed or maimed

At least 104,100 children have been killed or maimed. More than two-thirds of these have been between 2014 and 2020, with an average of 10,500 children killed or maimed each year.

• • 93,000 are recruited

At least 93,000 have been recruited by armed actors. Between 2016 – 2020, the UN verified the recruitment and use of an average of 8,756 children annually (8,521 in 2020).

• • 25,700 are abducted

More than 25,700 children have been abducted. Two-thirds of the cases over the past 16 years have occurred between 2014 – 2020, with an annual average of 2,414 (3,202 in 2020). Boys account for three-quarters, however, girls remain at risk of being abducted including for the purpose of sexual violence and exploitation.

• • 14,200 are sexually violated

More than 14,200 children have been subjected to rape and other sexual violence. The annual average is 890 child victims, with the highest record standing at 1,268 in 2020. This, however, is not reflective of the actual scale. Cases of sexual violence, including sexual violence against boys, are particularly underreported. Sexual violence disproportionately affects girls, who were victims in 97 per cent of cases in the last 5 years.

• • 14,900 are denied humanitarian access

More than 14,900 incidents of denial of humanitarian access have been verified. Around 80 per cent of incidents took place in the past 5 years, demonstrating strengthened efforts to document and verify these incidents.

• • 13,900 schools and hospitals destroyed
    More than 13,900 attacks on schools and hospitals have been verified. Nearly three-fourths of these incidents concerned education facilities, personnel, and pupils, with an annual average of 873 attacks, including 1,032 between 2016 – 2020.

Source: UNICEF fact sheet “Progress and challenges for children living in armed conflict” published 2022

Wars cause multiple additional deprivations including hunger, disease, and poverty. UNICEF’s report confirms that every year the number of verified violations for children who are impacted by wars continues to increase. Each of these numbers represents a grave tragedy for a child, a family, a community. This is a call to STOP attacks on children.