More than 12,000 children were killed or maimed in some 20 conflict situations around the world in 2018 – the highest number on record, according to a new report.
The latest Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, which was released on Tuesday, shows Afghanistan had the highest number of children killed or maimed – 927 killed, the highest number ever recorded, and 2,135 maimed – while in Syria there were 1,854 children killed or maimed and 1,689 in Yemen.
It also shows that some 7,000 children were in frontline fighting roles in armed conflicts with Somalia, Nigeria and Syria the worst offenders. Some 933 children were verified as the victims of sexual violence in conflict zones – a figure believed to be an under-estimate due to a range of factors – with Somalia accounting for just under a third of all sexual violence incidents against children.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “appalled” by the unprecedented numbers of grave violations against children and reiterated that all parties to conflicts had a responsibility to protect children.
But, he also noted: “Peace remains the best protection for children affected by armed conflict.”
Other findings in the report reveal that some 2,493 children were abducted in 2018 including 1,609 in Somalia, 367 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 180 in Nigeria.
“Children were abducted from homes, schools and public spaces by parties to conflict, often as a precursor to other grave violations, notably recruitment and use, and sexual abuse, including sexual slavery, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and the Syrian Arab Republic,” the report said.
The report also showed there were 1,023 verified attacks on hospitals and schools with the 225 recorded in Syria – the highest number recorded since the beginning of the conflict there. There were 254 such attacks in Afghanistan and increased numbers of attacks were also recorded in Central African Republic, Colombia, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
In Mali alone, some 827 schools were closed as at the end of 2018, denying an estimated 244,000 children access to education.
There were some positives with some 13,600 children reported as benefitting from release and reintegration actions worldwide during the year.
Virginia Gamba, special representative of the secretary-general for children and armed conflict, said it was “immensely sad that children continue to be disproportionately affected by armed conflict, and it is horrific to see them killed and maimed as a result of hostilities.”
“Parties to conflict must protect children and put in place tangible measures to end and prevent these violations”.
The report makes numerous recommendations to better protect children in conflict zones. Among them is that nations work with UN to help relocate foreign children and women who are actually or allegedly affiliated with extremist groups, with the best interests of the child as the primary consideration.
