'List of shame': Violence against children in conflict zones hit 'unprecedented levels' in 2024, reveals UN report

From Gaza to the Democratic Republic of Congo, from Ukraine to Haiti, children have never been more brutalised by war, claims a United Nations report. In a devastating annual report released Thursday (Jun 19), the UN revealed that grave violations against children in armed conflicts surged by a whopping 25 per cent in 2024 — the highest level in nearly three decades. The report has detailed thousands of grave violations against children in the year 2024 – the highest since the monitoring tool was put into place 30 years ago.

A record of horrors: Shocking figures revealed

As per the report from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, "In 2024, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25 per cent surge in the number of grave violations in comparison with 2023."

The report — the UN's annual barometer for violence against children in conflict — as per AFP has verified 41,370 grave violations in 2024 alone - 5,149 of these were committed earlier but confirmed in 2024. This includes more than 4,500 children killed and nearly 7,000 injured, many in indiscriminate airstrikes, ground battles and drone attacks.

2024's numbers beat the earlier record, set by 2023, another record high. It must be noted that 2023 itself was 21 per cent higher than the year before.

Children continue to bear "the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks," the report said. It also includes, in its appendix, a "list of shame" which calls out those responsible for these violations.

Which countries recorded the highest violence against children?

Topping the UN's list is the Palestinian territories, where 8,500 violations were recorded — more than half of them in Gaza and the vast majority committed by Israeli forces, according to the UN.

At least 1,259 Palestinian children were confirmed killed in Gaza in 2024, with the UN still verifying claims related to another 4,470 dead children. The numbers exploded after Israel's brutal response to Hamas's October 7 attack.

Beyond Gaza, several other countries saw massive child suffering in 2024:

- Democratic Republic of Congo: Over 4,000 grave violations
- Somalia: 2,500+ cases
- Nigeria: Nearly 2,500 violations
- Haiti: 2,200+ cases

"We are at the point of no return," said Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General's special representative for children in armed conflict.

"The cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play ball -- but instead have been forced to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings -- should keep all of us awake at night," she said, adding, "This must serve as a wake-up call".