Armed conflict puts children at an increased risk of grave violations while their risk of being trafficked similarly increases, including in transitional periods, a new UN study has revealed.
The conflict in Sudan has led to a horrifying surge in violence against children, a new UN report has revealed, underscoring the need for urgent and tangible protection measures.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday heard powerful and personal testimony from a former child soldier who recounted harrowing experiences of being abducted and forced to join an armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Violence against children caught in armed conflict reached “extreme levels” last year, with a “shocking” 21 per cent increase in extreme violations, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a report published on Thursday.
As deadly attacks in Ukraine continue, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday that the number of children killed so far this year has increased by nearly 40 per cent compared to 2023.
The gangs which now control up to 90 per cent of Haiti’s capital must be persuaded to end their campaign of violence which has left the children of the Port-au-Prince region without safety, schooling and sufficient food to eat, the UN’s top envoy for Children and Armed Conflict has told UN News.
All warring parties must allow safe, swift and unfettered humanitarian access and protect civilian infrastructure, top UN officials told the Security Council on Wednesday.
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, said it was appalled by the recent killing of dozens of civilians in the Sahel region of northern Burkina Faso.
Poverty and lack of education are pushing boys into joining armed groups and forcing girls to marry way before they should, warns Virginia Gamba, UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.
Her latest report documents more than 27,000 instances of grave violations against children caught up in war, including use in conflict, killing and maiming, and rape and sexual violence.
It also reveals a worrisome rise in attacks against schools, with nearly half carried out by government forces.
