Situation of children and armed conflict.

 In 2024, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25 per cent surge in the number of grave violations in comparison with 2023. Children bore the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks, and were affected by the disregard for ceasefires and peace agreements and by deepening humanitarian crises. The United Nations verified 41,370 grave violations, of which 36,221 were committed in 2024 and 5,149 were committed earlier but verified in 2024. Violations affected 22,495 children in 2024 (14,383 boys, 7,320 girls, 792 sex unknown). While non-State armed groups were responsible for almost 50 per cent of grave violations, government forces were the main perpetrator of the killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.3 The sharp rise in the number of children subjected to multiple violations from 2,684 in 2023 to 3,137 in 2024, through the convergence of abduction, recruitment and sexual violence, represented an alarming escalation in brutality. Some 16,482 children formerly associated with armed forces or groups received protection or reintegration support during 2024. 

State actors and non-State armed groups showed a persistent and blatant pattern of grave violations and lack of respect of the special protections afforded to children, compounded by the use of private security companies. Warfare strategies included attacks on children, the deployment of increasingly destructive weapons, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the systematic exploitation of children for combat. Deliberate harm was inflicted on children, instilling terror, affecting their psychological health and driving mass and prolonged displacement. The urbanization of conflicts and their intensification across borders, the climate emergency and