UN: Violations against children in armed conflicts 'shockingly high'

Violations against children in armed conflicts “remain at a shockingly high level,” the UN warned Monday as the international community seeks to curtail the tragedies.

Virginia Gamba, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ special representative for children and armed conflict, told the Security Council that children continue to face alarming levels of violations, including abductions, killing and maiming, recruitment for use in armed conflicts, and the denial of humanitarian access in conflict zones.

The UN verified nearly 24,000 “grave violations” in 2021, and Gamba said those numbers are likely to continue apace as the world body evaluates incidents from 2022.

“In the face of continuous cycles of violence and conflict that are only becoming more intense, frequent and complex, we are increasingly aware that understanding and identifying the pre-existing risks and vulnerabilities to children will be critical to protecting them, and preventing violations of their rights once a conflict occurs,” she told the Council.

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She emphasised that children who lack education and future prospects for their livelihoods, and face poverty remain the most vulnerable to forced military recruitment by armed groups and gender-based violence.

A note circulated by Malta, which chairs the Security Council for the month of February, ahead of Monday’s meeting said despite progress in combatting violations against children, they “continue to be committed on an alarming scale.”

“Effective prevention of violence requires a strategic and proactive approach at the community, national, subregional, regional and global levels that addresses all the risks and stresses the factors that provide protection against the continuum of violence, with a view to effectively protecting every conflict-affected child,” it said.