The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
A staggering average of 71 verified grave violations are committed daily against children by parties to conflict in more than 30 conflict situations across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. This is one of the key findings of a new report entitled “25 years of children and armed conflict: Taking action to protect children in war” that UNICEF launched today.
Speaking at a news briefing at the United Nations in Geneva, Tasha Gill, UNICEF’s Senior Advisor on Child Protection in Emergencies, said that “between 2005 and 2020, the United Nations verified over a quarter of a million grave violations against children committed by parties to conflict in more than 30 conflict situations across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.” Ms. Gill concluded that “this is a staggering average of 71 grave violations against children daily”.
The report analyses 16 years of data on grave rights violations committed against children in conflict situations, from 2005 to 2020, to show the impact of armed conflict on children across the world.
UNICEF’s Ms. Gill emphasized that “between 2016 and 2020, 82 per cent of all verified child casualties occurred in only five situations: Afghanistan, Israel and the State of Palestine, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia”.
The report examines how engagement with parties to conflict – state and non-State actors alike – enables ending and preventing child rights grave violations.
According to Tasha Gill, “our analysis shows that despite decades of advocacy with parties to conflict and those who influence them —as well as enhanced monitoring, reporting and documenting grave rights violations—children continue to bear the brunt of war. Every day, girls and boys living in areas under conflict experience and endure unspeakable horrors that no one should experience”.
During the period from 2005 to 2020, UNICEF found that more than 104,000 children were verified as killed or maimed, more than 93,000 children verified as recruited and used by parties to conflict and at least 25,700 were verified as abducted by parties to conflict.
“To give just some sense of the magnitude of the problem: in one decade alone - from 2010 to 2020, there was an increase of 185% of verified grave child rights violations committed against children in conflict situations,” said UNICEF’s Senior Advisor on Child Protection in Emergencies.
She added that “it is also important to note that many children experience more than one violation, increasing their vulnerability. For example, abduction is often combined with or leads to other violations, like recruitment and use and sexual violence”.
The effort of UNICEF staff, other UN and partner organizations to collect and verify information on grave violations to better understand and respond to the needs of children, has received positive results. Since 2000, at least 170,000 children have been released from armed forces, many having survived multiple violations, including abduction or sexual violence.
“While we are complaining or criticizing all members of wars parties to conflict for not upholding their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, we also belief that the international community at large can do more to protect children in conflict”, said Ms. Gill. “These numbers are staggering that I have presented today, and they are the result of an in-depth analysis of 16 years of data”.
-ends-
- Exterior shot, wide shot Palais des Nations on a sunny day
- Wide shot, press briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Tasha Gill, UNICEF’s Senior Advisor, Child Protection in Emergencies: “Between 2005 and 2020, the United Nations verified over a quarter of a million grave violations against children committed by parties to conflict. In more than 30 conflict situations across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. This is a staggering average of 71 grave violations against children daily”.
- Medium shot, journalists taking notes in the room
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Tasha Gill, UNICEF’s Senior Advisor, Child Protection in Emergencies: “Between 2016 and 2020, 82 per cent of all verified child casualties occurred in only five situations: Afghanistan, Israel and the State of Palestine, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia”.
- Close up, journalists listening
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Tasha Gill, UNICEF’s Senior Advisor, Child Protection in Emergencies: “Our analysis shows that despite decades of advocacy with parties to conflict and those who influence them —as well as enhanced monitoring, reporting and documenting grave rights violations—children continue to bear the brunt of war. Every day, girls and boys living in areas under conflict experience and endure unspeakable horrors that no one should experience”.
- Close up, hands taking notes
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Tasha Gill, UNICEF’s Senior Advisor, Child Protection in Emergencies: “To give just some sense of the magnitude of the problem: in one decade alone - from 2010 to 2020, there was an increase of 185% of verified grave child rights violations committed against children in conflict situations”.
- Two shot, journalists listening
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Tasha Gill, UNICEF’s Senior Advisor, Child Protection in Emergencies: “It is also important to note that many children experience more than one violation, increasing their vulnerability. For example, abduction is often combined with or leads to other violations, like recruitment and use and sexual violence”.
- Close up, hands typing on laptop keyboard
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Tasha Gill, UNICEF’s Senior Advisor, Child Protection in Emergencies: “While we are complaining or criticizing all members of wars parties to conflict for not upholding their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, we also belief that the international community at large can do more to protect children in conflict. These numbers are staggering that I have presented today, and they are the result of an in-depth analysis of 16 years of data”.
- Medium shot, journalists and podium with speakers
- Medium shot, spokespersons listening
- Medium shot, journalists listening with camera in forefront
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council during a meeting on the Israeli strike on negotiators in Qatar on Tuesday. “Israel’s strike on negotiators in Doha on 9 September was a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: Thirsty and starving, war-battered families face ‘inhumane’ evacuation
As bombs continue to fall on Gaza City as part of the intensifying Israeli military operation, families with starving children are being pushed southwards from one “hellscape” to another, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
New UN Human Rights report finds 10 years of increased suffering repression and fear
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday published a report on the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 2014.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNICEF , UNHCR
The ongoing humanitarian response to the devastating Afghanistan earthquake disaster continued on Friday, although essential services have been cut for operational reasons following reinforced Taliban restrictions on women working with the UN, the global body said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Un nouveau rapport du Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme sur la République démocratique du Congo évoque le spectre de crimes de guerre et de crimes contre l'humanité dans le Nord et le Sud-Kivu.,
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
A high-level independent rights probe into the Sudan crisis on Tuesday condemned the many grave crimes committed against civilians by all parties to the war, citing disturbing evidence indicating that they had been “deliberately targeted, displaced and starved”.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Ukraine: ‘Relentless’ attacks rattle health system as winter approaches: WHO
Ambulances attacked, chronically ill patients lacking care and no peace in sight: for millions of Ukrainians, the run-up to another winter of war is just the latest life-or-death challenge they face, the UN health agency (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his report on Sri Lanka to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his global update to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
A UN report on the Democratic Republic of Congo raises specter of war crimes and crimes against humanity in North and South Kivu, according to UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
As billions of people continue to breathe polluted air that causes more than 4.5 million premature deaths every year, UN climate experts on Friday highlighted how damaging microscopic smoke particles from wildfires play their part, travelling half-way across the world.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence made the following comment on the on-going presidential election process in Cameroon at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.