Earlier this month, the UN Secretary General released the 2023 Children in Armed Conflict Report.
Each year, UN Monitoring and Reporting groups work across countries affected by conflict to verify whether children rights are being infringed against six grave violations. That information is then collated into the yearly UN report.
Sadly, 2023 saw a 21% rise on the previous year, with 32,990 grave violations being verified against 22,557 children.
The recently released UN Secretary General’s Children and Armed Conflict Report verified the killing and maiming of 11,649 children in 2023. Killing and maiming is one of six grave violations children can experience in armed conflict. This is an increase of over a third on 2022 (35% increase) and the highest number of children killed or maimed since the UN Children and Armed Conflict report starting monitoring this grave violation. The number of children killed in 2023 (5,301) represents the equivalent of almost 15 children killed every day.
The recently released UN Secretary General’s Children and Armed Conflict Report verified the recruitment and use of 8,655 children in armed conflicts in 2023. The recruitment and use of children as soldiers in hostilities is one of six grave violations children can experience in armed conflict. The number of verified children used a child soldiers in the UN report for 2023 is a 13% increase on the 7,622 figure in 2022.
The recently released UN Secretary General’s Children and Armed Conflict Report verified that 1,470 children had been victims to sexual violence in armed conflict in 2023. Sexual violence is one of six grave violations children can experience in armed conflict. The number of verified children who experienced sexual violence in armed conflict in 2023 has increased by 25% compared to 2022.
The recently released UN Secretary General’s Children and Armed Conflict Report verified the abduction of 4,356 children in armed conflict in 2023. The abduction of children is one of six grave violations children can experience in armed conflict. The number of verified children abducted in conflicts rose by 9% compared to 2022.
The recently released UN Secretary General’s Children and Armed Conflict Report highlighted that access to education and health services were compromised for thousands of children in 2023, with 1,650 attacks verified on schools and hospitals and related personnel. Attacks against schools and hospitals is one of six grave violations children can experience in armed conflict. The number of attacks against schools and hospitals was the only one of six grave verified violations to have reduced in number in 2023 as compared to 2022, dropping by 10%.
The recently released UN Secretary General’s Children and Armed Conflict Report verified the 5,205 incidents where children were denied humanitarian access in 2023. Denial of humanitarian access is one of six grave violations children can experience in armed conflict. In 2023, the number of verified incidents of children being denied humanitarian access increased by 32% as compared to 2022.
We boldly campaign to influence global leaders and empower young people to raise issues and campaign for change themselves.
We work to ensure that challenges faced by children are widely understood and addressed by those who hold power.
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We work to ensure that challenges faced by children are widely understood and addressed by those in power. We boldly campaign to influence global leaders and empower young people to raise issues and campaign for change themselves.
We deliver our vital work in eight countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East to protect, educate and stand up for the rights of children in war.
We help keep children safe and support them to heal, learn and thrive. We understand their needs, respect and stand up for their rights, and put them at the centre of everything we do – because just one child caught up in conflict is one child too many.
