It is estimated that around 473 million, or more than one in six children, live in conflict zones around the world, according to the United Nations children's agency.
UNICEF's statement came on Saturday as conflict continues to rage around the world, including in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, among other places.
In Israel devastating war on Gaza In particular, at least 17,492 children they were reportedly killed in nearly 15 months of conflict that reduced much of the enclave to rubble.
“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict UNICEF– both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
According to Russell, a child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished or forced from home compared to a child living in places without struggle
“This cannot be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to wreak havoc on world wars unchecked,” the director said.
The proportion of children living in conflict areas has doubled – from around 10 per cent in the 1990s to nearly 19 per cent today, UNICEF said.
According to the report, 47.2 million children have been displaced as a result of conflict and violence by the end of 2023.
The trends for 2024 show a further increase in displacement as several conflicts have escalated, including Haiti, Lebanon, Myanmar, the Palestinian territories and Sudan.
In addition, in the most recent data available, from 2023, the UN confirmed 32,990 serious violations against 22,557 children – the highest number since the start of monitoring under the supervision of the UN Security Council, UNICEF said.
There is an overall increase in the number of mass violations, and this year is likely to see another increase, as “thousands of children have been killed and injured in Gaza, and in Ukraine“, said the group.
Sexual violence against children has increased, their education has been affected, child malnutrition rates have increased and armed conflict has taken a greater toll on children's mental health, UNICEF also said.
“The world is failing these children. As we look toward 2025, we must do more to turn the tide and save and improve children's lives,” said Russell.
Gaza children 'cold, sick, traumatized'
In Gaza – where the Israeli military has killed more women and children in the past year than in any recent conflict over a single year, Oxfam reported in September – the war continues is a “nightmare” for children, UNICEF communications specialist Rosalia Bollen concluded. week at a press conference.
“Children in Gaza are cold, sick and traumatized,” Bollen said last Friday.
About 96 percent of women and children in Gaza cannot meet their basic nutritional needs, she said, lamenting the lack of aid that is able to reach children in the Strip.
“Gaza has to be one of the most heartbreaking places on Earth for humanity. “Every small effort to save a child's life is overturned by sheer devastation,” Bollen said.
“For over 14 months, children have been at the forefront of this nightmare.”
Bollen said that many children in the besieged enclave do not have winter clothing, have to rummage through rubbish for supplies and have diseases.
She urged the use of political capital and diplomatic leverage to push for the evacuation of wounded children and their parents to leave Gaza and seek medical care in East Jerusalem or elsewhere.
“This war should concern all of us. The children of Gaza cannot wait,” she said.
