UN: Child violence in conflicts hit record high in 2024

Violence against children in conflict zones surged to unprecedented levels in 2024, according to an annual report from the United Nations released Thursday.

“In 2024, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25 percent surge in the number of grave violations in comparison with 2023,” said the report from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The report verified 41,370 grave violations against children last year — including 36,221 that occurred in 2024 and 5,149 committed in previous years but confirmed in 2024 — marking the highest total since the U.N.'s monitoring system was created nearly 30 years ago.

The new record surpasses that of 2023, which itself saw a 21 percent increase from the year before.

With more than 4,500 children killed and 7,000 injured, young people continued to bear “the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks,” the report said.

It also noted a sharp rise in the number of children suffering multiple violations, with 22,495 affected.

“The cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play ball — but instead have been forced to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings — should keep all of us awake at night,” said Virginia Gamba, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative for children and armed conflict.

“This must serve as a wake-up call. We are at the point of no return.”

The annual report tracks violations against children under 18 in around 20 conflict zones worldwide.

Its appendix includes a so-called “list of shame” that identifies parties responsible for violations such as killing and maiming, recruitment and use in armed conflict, abduction, denial of humanitarian access, and sexual violence.

New to the list this year is a coalition of Haitian gangs, including “Viv Ansanm,” which the U.N. blamed for a 490 percent surge in grave violations, including child recruitment, killings and gang rape.

The Israeli armed forces, as well as Palestinian militant group Hamas, remained on the list following their inclusion in the previous year’s report.

Top Conflict Zones

The Palestinian territories topped the 2024 list, with more than 8,500 grave violations — most attributed to Israeli forces, including more than 4,800 in Gaza.

The report confirmed that 1,259 Palestinian children were killed in Gaza and noted it is verifying information on another 4,470 child deaths in the enclave last year.

The violence followed Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The U.N. also documented more than 500 children killed or injured in Israeli military operations in Lebanon in 2024.

Other countries with high numbers of violations include the Democratic Republic of the Congo (more than 4,000), Somalia (more than 2,500), Nigeria (nearly 2,500), and Haiti (more than 2,200).

The Colombian drug cartel Clan del Golfo was also added to the list, accused of recruiting children. Colombia saw a notable rise in cases of forced recruitment, with 450 documented in 2024, up from 262 the year before.

The Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces remained on the list as their conflict entered its third year. Also continuing on the list: the Russian army, cited for a 105 percent increase in grave violations against children in Ukraine from 2023 to 2024.