UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday released an annual report highlighting grave violations against children in conflict zones, naming Israel’s armed and security forces, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and Sudan’s warring factions as major offenders.
The report adds these entities to a global list of violators for killing and maiming children in 2023.
The report, compiled by Guterres’ envoy for children and armed conflict, Virginia Gamba, focuses on six severe violations: killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction, recruitment and use of children, denial of humanitarian aid, and attacks on schools and hospitals. The inclusion in this list aims to shame the parties involved, urging them to take measures to protect children. All reported violations are verified by the United Nations.
In 2023, violence against children in armed conflicts surged to extreme levels, with a shocking 21% increase in grave violations, and a 35% rise in incidents of killing and maiming. The highest numbers of verified violations occurred in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria, and Sudan.
The report singled out 5,698 transgressions that were ascribed to the security and armed forces of Israel, 116 to Hamas, and 21 to Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The UN verified the killing of 2,267 Palestinian children, primarily in Gaza between October 7 and December 31, with most incidents caused by explosive weapons used by Israeli forces. Israel was responsible for killing 206 children, while 136 violations against Israeli children were attributed mainly to Hamas.
The UN recorded 1,721 breaches in Sudan, mostly resulting from gunfire between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese armed forces, which resulted in the deaths of 480 children and the maiming of 764 others. Additionally, there were 85 attacks on schools and hospitals, and 114 cases of sexual violence against girls, with the RSF responsible for 57 of these cases.
The conflict in Ukraine also featured in the report, with the UN verifying the killing of 80 children and maiming of 339. Russian forces were held responsible for the majority of these violations, including 59 child deaths and 228 injuries. Furthermore, Russian forces were attributed to 249 attacks on schools and hospitals, while Ukrainian forces were responsible for 70 such attacks and the military use of two schools and one hospital.
The UN report underscores the severe impact of armed conflicts on children and aims to hold violators accountable, pushing for stronger protective measures in conflict zones.
