Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUN / CHILDREN ARMED CONFLICT REPORT
STORY: UN / CHILDREN ARMED CONFLICT REPORT
TRT: 04:11
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 13 JUNE 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Pan left, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
13 JUNE 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, speakers sitting at podium, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations:
“In 2023, violence against children in armed conflict reached extreme levels with a shocking 21 percent increase in grave violations vis-à-vis prior years.”
4. Med shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations:
“The number of children who were victim of multiple grave violations also increased, illustrated by the high percentage of girls being abducted for recruitment and sexual violence, including rape and sexual slavery.”
6. Wide shot, speakers, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations:
“The highest numbers of grave violations during 2023 were first and foremost, the killing and maiming of 11,649 children, second, the recruitment and use of 8,655 children, and third, the abduction of 4,356 children.”
8. Wide shot, speakers, journalists
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations:
“The UN reported 5,205 verified incidents of the denial of humanitarian access to children, which is an unacceptably high figure representing a 32 percent increase over previous years.”
10. Med shot, journalists
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations:
“Situations in the CAAC report where substantial increase in grave violations were verified include a rise of over 155 percent violations over prior years in the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, notably in Israel and the Gaza Strip and the Occupied West Bank, while Sudan witnessed a staggering 480 percent increase in grave violations against children.”
12. Wide shot, speakers, journalists
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations:
“The Sudanese Armed Forces have been listed for the grave violations of killing and maiming, and for attacks on schools and hospitals. The Rapid Support Forces armed group has been listed for killing and maiming, recruitment and use, rape and other forms of sexual abuse, and attacks on schools and hospitals.”
14. Med shot, journalists
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations:
The brutal acts of terror perpetrated on 7 October 2023 on Israeli communities involving the deliberate killing, maiming, torture, and abduction of civilians, including children and other protected persons, as planned and conducted by the armed group Hamas ‘Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and affiliated factions, and by the armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades has led to their listing for the violations of killing and maiming, and abduction of children.
16. Wide shot, speakers, journalists
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, United Nations:
“The magnitude of the reaction by Israeli armed and security operations against Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the tightening of repressive operations in the Occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, and the use of explosive weapons of war with high impact in densely populated areas in the Gaza strip leading to death of civilians, including children and the destruction of civilian objects, has led to the listing of the Israeli armed and security forces for killing and maiming of children, and attacks on schools and hospitals, in the Gaza strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”
18. Med shot, journalists
In 2023, children living in conflict situations experienced violence at unbearable levels, according to a new report by the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict published today (13 Jun).
Children have been recruited and used including at the frontlines, attacked in their homes, abducted on their way to schools, their schools were military used and their doctors targeted, and the dreadful list goes on.
The evolving nature, complexity, and intensification of armed conflict, as well as the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, has led to a shocking increase in grave violations against children in 2023.
The UN Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), which included for the first-time information on Haiti and Niger among the 25 situations and one regional monitoring arrangement on the Children and Armed Conflict agenda, revealed that 32,990 grave violations were verified against 22,557 children.
Talking to the press today, Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, said, “The highest numbers of grave violations during 2023 were first and foremost, the killing and maiming of 11,649 children, second, the recruitment and use of 8,655 children, and third, the abduction of 4,356 children.”
This unprecedented level of suffering was represented by an increase in most grave violations and a continued high level in other grave violations in 2023.
Children suffered from blatant disregard of their rights and of protections enshrined in international humanitarian and human rights law, including the right to life with 11,649 children killed and maimed, representing a 35 percent increase vis-a-vis last year’s report and representing the highest violation verified in the report.
The number of children killed in 2023 (5,301) represents the equivalent of almost 15 children killed every day.
This was followed by the recruitment and use of 8,655 children and the abduction of 4, 356 children.
The highest numbers of grave violations were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria, and the Sudan.
Roughly 50 percent of violations were committed by armed groups, including those designated as terrorists by the United Nations, whereas the rest were committed by government forces, and by unidentified perpetrators, such as landmines and improvised explosive devices.
Armed groups were principally responsible for the abduction, the recruitment and use, and sexual violence against children, while government forces were the main perpetrators of killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals and related personnel, and denial of humanitarian access to children.
The use of explosive weapons continued to have a disastrous impact, killing and maiming children and restraining the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The denial of humanitarian access (5,205) increased by 32 percent in 2023 compared to 2022.
Underreporting due to stigmatization, fear of reprisals, harmful social norms, lack of services, impunity, and safety concerns, cases of conflict-related sexual violence against children (1,470) continue to be an issue which is an increase of 25 percent compared to 2022.
Finally, access to education and health services were compromised for thousands of children, with 1,650 attacks verified on schools and hospitals and related personnel.
Despite multiplying and escalating crises, more than 10,600 children formerly associated with armed forces or groups received protection or reintegration support during 2023.
Reintegration support is essential for their individual well-being and for the broader goals of social cohesion, economic development, and sustainable peace.
Throughout 2023, the United Nations commenced or sustained engagement with parties to conflict as was the case in the CAAC situations of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, the Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine and Yemen, some of which led to the adoption of measures aimed at providing better protection for children affected by armed conflict.
When engagement prospered and measures were put in place including through the signature of action plans and handover protocols, capacity-building initiatives, unilateral commitments, and bilateral dialogues, violations decreased and/or children were released from conflict.
Decreases as a result of engagement and action plans were noted in Iraq, Mozambique, the Philippines, South Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen.
Download
There is no media available to download.
