UN denounces unprecedented violence against children in Gaza, DRC, and Haiti

Violence against children in armed conflicts surged to an all-time high in 2024, according to a new United Nations report. The annual study by UN Secretary-General António Guterres revealed a 25% increase in grave violations compared to 2023, with a total of 41,370 verified cases — the highest since monitoring began nearly 30 years ago.

More than 4,500 children were killed and over 7,000 injured, with 22,495 children suffering multiple forms of violence, including killings, mutilations, recruitment, abductions, and sexual assault. Virginia Gamba, the UN’s special representative for children and armed conflict, described the situation as a “point of no return,” stressing the urgency of protecting innocent lives in war zones.

The worst-affected areas included Gaza, where Israeli forces were held responsible for the majority of over 8,500 serious violations, including 1,259 confirmed child deaths in 2024. Other high-violation regions included the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti — the latter seeing a 490% spike in violations largely attributed to the gang coalition “Viv Ansanm,” now added to the UN’s “list of shame.” Also named were Hamas, the Russian military, Colombia’s Gulf Clan, and Sudan’s armed forces, reflecting a disturbing global trend of escalating violence against children.