The impact of armed conflicts on children around the world reached devastating and likely record levels in 2024, according to a review by UNICEF of the latest available data and prevailing global trends.
“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF’s history—both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“A child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished, or forced from their home—too often repeatedly—compared to a child living in places of peace.
This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s unchecked wars.”
Over 473 million children—more than one in six globally—now live in areas affected by conflict, with the world experiencing the highest number of conflicts since World War II. The percentage of the world’s children living in conflict zones has doubled—from around 10 per cent in the 1990s to almost 19 per cent today.
In the latest available data, from 2023, the United Nations verified a record 32,990 grave violations against 22,557 children—the highest number since Security Council-mandated monitoring began.
With the overall upward trend in the number of grave violations—for example, thousands of children have been killed and injured in Gaza, and in Ukraine, the UN verified more child casualties during the first 9 months of 2024 than during all of 2023[10]—this year is likely to see another increase.
Source: Palestinian News Network (PNN)