Source: Save the Children
The number of grave violations committed against children in war rose 15% in 2023 to the highest level since reporting started in 2005 with the biggest increases in Sudan and the occupied Palestinian territory, according to new report by Save the Children [1].
The report Stop the War on Children – Pathways to Peace analysed the number of verified grave violations against children in conflict since such records began, with the crimes including killing, maiming and abduction, sexual violence, recruitment into armed groups, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access to children.
The report found 31,721 documented cases of grave violations against children [2] in conflict took place in 2023, which equated to an average of 86 crimes against children per day, eclipsing the previous record set in 2022.
The largest total number of crimes were committed in the occupied Palestinian territory where 8,434 grave violations were verified – a quarter of the total number – and a 170% jump on the year before. This was followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (with 3,805 verified cases, up from 2,420 cases in 2022) and Somalia (with 2,290 verified cases, slightly down from 2,783 cases in 2022).
The biggest relative increase in grave violations was recorded in Sudan, where cases increased fivefold since 2022 from 317 cases to 1,759 cases.
An horrific 11,338 cases of killing and maiming of children in conflict were documented around the world in 2023, representing a 31% rise compared to the previous year. This was the equivalent to an average of 31 children per day – an entire classroom – losing their life or being maimed. More than a third were Palestinian children.
Incidents of denial of humanitarian access – another grave violation against children in conflict – also reached an historic high with 5,158 incidents in 2023, compared to 3,931 the previous year – and more than 11 times higher than a decade ago. The occupied Palestinian territory recorded 3,250 incidents of denial of humanitarian access in 2023, the highest number ever recorded in any conflict setting.
The report also revealed that the last three decades have witnessed a staggering increase in the number of children living under the weight of war, with the number reaching 473 million children – or 19% of the world’s child population – in 2023 [3]. This share has nearly doubled from around 10% of the world’s child population in the mid-1990s, as children’s right to protection in conflict continued to be obliterated [4]
The report analysed global military spending and found it rose to $2.4 trillion in 2023 – or more than the entire GDP of Italy – while investments in peace and conflict prevention dwindled. The economic impact of violence, including the costs of prevention, containment, and addressing its consequences, has steadily risen, reaching $19.1 trillion in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms in 2023.
Sharmarke-, a 12-year-old boy living in Puntland, Somalia, lost his brother in the ongoing conflict in his homeland and yearns for peace. He said:
“If I had one wish, it would be for peace in Somalia. Peace is something that we have been without for so long that many of us don’t even know what it feels like. I wish for a country where families like mine don’t have to run from their homes in fear, where children can go to school without being afraid. Somalia has been broken by war, and it’s time for us to heal.”
Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International, said:
“This report is devastating and leaves no doubt that the world is getting more dangerous for children. For so much of humanity we have seen progress on children’s rights and their protection, but in countries at war, the situation is sharply declining.
“We are seeing global military spending continuing to climb, while investments in conflict prevention are on the decline. The consequences of this misplaced focus are devastating. Ongoing conflicts in the DRC, occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, and Ukraine, and so many other countries, have witnessed a horrific escalation in attacks against children, schools, and hospitals.
“These violations have ignited a global outcry and yet we haven’t seen any real and meaningful pledges for peace.
“States must take action. They need to uphold standards of conduct in conflict. They must hold perpetrators to account. They must protect humanitarian access. They need long term plans for peace. And they need to support children’s resilience and recovery. The future of millions of children depends on immediate and decisive global action.”
Gudrun Østby, Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, said:
“The documented cases of crimes against children in conflict zones are horrific, yet these figures likely only scratch the surface. With an estimated 473 million children-or 19% globally -living in conflict areas, each of these children has a unique story and conflict experience.”
“Over the past few decades, the number of children living in conflict settings has risen steadily. The global share of children at risk due to conflict has nearly doubled since the 1990s. Now, more than ever, the need to protect the millions of children in conflict zones is both critical and urgent.”
Save the Children’s analysis also uncovered an alarming number of UN member states have signed onto less than half of the international legal and political instruments that provide protection children in conflict. As many as 43 UN members, or more than 20%, many of which are involved in armed conflict, have failed to sign or endorse more than six of the twelve instruments, showing a large gap in commitment to child protection. At the same time, arms sales continue to fuel conflicts, with weapons being transferred to actors notorious for violating children’s rights [5].
Peaceful childhoods are a critical part of building peaceful societies. As government leaders and civil society, including activists, survivors, and young people, prepare to meet at the inaugural Global Ministerial Conference on Violence Against Children in Colombia next month, this report highlights the urgent need for intensified global action to combat violence against children in conflict and build a safer future for children worldwide. Despite the degradation of the rules-based order, there are reasons for optimism, including advancements in accountability, effective implementation practices, and growing popular mobilization for peace and safety for children.
- [1] Analysis by Save the Children of the 2024 United Nations annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, based on data reported and verified in 2023. The analysis also draws on previous Save the Children mapping of the number of grave violations in the reports on children and armed conflict from 2005-23. Unlike the annual UN reports on children and conflict, we have included verified incidents of military use of hospitals and schools under the grave violation attacks on schools and hospitals when we add up the grave violations in each conflict setting.
- [2] The six grave violations against children: the UN Security Council has identified six grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict: killing and maiming of children; recruitment or use of children in armed forces and groups; rape and other forms of sexual violence against children; abduction of children; attacks against schools and hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access to children. These grave violations were defined on the basis of their egregious nature and their severe impact on children’s wellbeing. In addition to the six violations, the annual UN has verified cases of detention of children since 2012 and presented them in the report.
- [3] Updated data on the number of children living in conflict zones conducted by the Peace Research Institute (PRIO), Oslo based on Uppsala Conflict Data Program’s Georeferenced Event Dataset (UCDP GED) cross-referenced with population data from Gridded Population of the World (GPW) and from the UN (2023).
- [4] Figure 2, page 5. The share was 9,7% in 1995.
- [5] Including the Safe Schools Declaration, Paris Commitments and the Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) declaration.
