Grave violations against children have reached shocking levels in 2024, a new report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to the General Assembly shows.
The report, which covers the period from August 2024 to July 2025, highlights a staggering 25 % surge in grave violations compared to 2023. It stresses the dramatic impacts hostilities continue to have on children, pointing to the failure to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, disregard for the specific protection of children, and deepening humanitarian crises.
“Children are paying a huge price. They are being starved, displaced and killed. This underscores the crucial importance of ensuring lasting peace and stability, which is the only way to ensure children’s protection,” said the Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid.
The Special Representative’s ongoing multistakeholder engagement to build partnerships to end and prevent grave violations against children is also highlighted in the report. Engagement with parties to the conflict bears fruit, as shown by the signature of handover protocols for the transfer of children to civilian authorities in the Central African Republic and Yemen, or the release of children in Afghanistan and Sudan. To date, more than 40 action plans have been signed, and dialogue has resulted in the release of over 220,000 children from armed forces and groups.
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In collaboration with partners, a new advocacy campaign, entitled ‘Prove It Matters’, was also launched in March 2025, aimed at rallying the international community behind the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with children’s voices at the centre.
The report further emphasises the urgent need to address the situation of children affected by armed conflict. At a time of acute humanitarian and protection needs for children, resources for child protection must be sustained and reinforced, the SRSG stressed.
As we approach its 30th anniversary, it is essential to uphold the Children and Armed Conflict mandate, allowing it to build on its long-standing work to ensure the protection of children.
“The international community must recommit and uphold the protection of children. Protecting children contributes to breaking the cycles of conflict and violence and promotes sustainable peace,” she said.
