Nearly one in five children worldwide lives in areas affected by conflict, with more than 473 million children living in conflict-affected areas, the worst level since World War II, according to figures released by the United Nations. suffering from violence.
The proportion of children living in conflict areas around the world has doubled from around 10% in the 1990s to almost 19%, the United Nations children's humanitarian agency UNICEF said on Saturday. warned of a dramatic increase in Don’t let it become a “new normal.”
[Unicefsaidtherearemoreconflictsoccurringaroundtheworldthanatanytimesince1945withchildrenincreasinglybecomingvictimsCitingthelatestavailabledatatheUnitedNationshasidentified32990seriousviolationsagainst22557childrensince2023comparedtotheSecurityCouncil'sglobalThisisthehighestfiguresincetheintroductionofmandatorymonitoringoftheimpactofwaronchildren[1945年以来、世界中で最も多くの紛争が発生しており、子どもたちが犠牲になるケースが増えているとユニセフは述べた。入手可能な最新データを引用し、国連は2023年以降、2万2557人の子どもたちに対する3万2990件の重大な違反行為を確認したが、これは約20年前に安全保障理事会が世界の子どもたちへの戦争の影響の監視を義務付けて以来、最高の数字となった。
Approximately 15 months after Israel's war in Gaza, the death toll is estimated to be more than 45,000, of which Israel has confirmed deaths. The United Nations says 44% are children..
In Ukraine, the United Nations said more child casualties were confirmed in the first nine months of 2024 than in all of 2023, and predicted further increases in 2025.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: “By almost every measure, 2024 will be the biggest year in UNICEF's history for children in conflict, both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives. It was the worst year for both.” Said.
“Children growing up in conflict zones are far more likely to miss school, be malnourished, or be forced from their homes than children living in peaceful places, and this happens over and over again. Russell added. “This cannot be the new normal. We cannot allow generations of children to become collateral damage in an unstoppable global war.”
Amid widespread reports of rape and sexual violence in conflict, UNICEF specifically drew attention to the plight of women and girls. The report said the number of reported cases of sexual violence against children in Haiti increased by 1,000% in 2024 alone.
UNICEF also noted that children are particularly affected by malnutrition during wars, posing a particularly deadly threat in Sudan and Gaza. More than 500,000 people are going hungry in five conflict-affected countries.
Conflict also has a serious impact on children's access to health care and education. 40% of unvaccinated or undervaccinated children live in countries wholly or partially affected by conflict and are vulnerable to outbreaks of diseases such as measles and polio. It has become much more vulnerable. Polio was detected in Gaza in July, the first outbreak of the virus there in a quarter century. The UN-led vaccination campaign, made possible by a series of temporary and partial ceasefires, was able to reach more than 90% of the child population.
UNICEF reports that more than 52 million children in conflict-affected countries lack access to education, with most children in the Gaza Strip and a significant proportion of children in Sudan having not been in school for more than a year. He said he was unable to attend. In other countries in conflict, including Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria, schools have been damaged, destroyed or repurposed, leaving millions of children without the opportunity to learn.
“The impact on children's mental health is also significant,” UNICEF said. A study supported by the charity War Child earlier this month found that 96% of children in Gaza felt their death was imminent, and almost half reported wanting to die due to the trauma they had experienced. did.
“Children in combat zones face a daily struggle for survival that deprives them of their childhood,” Russell said. “Their schools have been bombed, their homes destroyed, and their families torn apart. They have lost safety and access to basic life necessities, as well as opportunities to play, learn, and just be kids. The world is failing these children, and in 2025 we must do more to turn the tide and save and improve their lives.”
