Armed Conflicts in 2024 Leave Millions of Children Vulnerable: UNICEF
News Desk
New York: The devastating impact of armed conflicts on children reached record levels in 2024, marking one of the worst years for children affected by violence and insecurity, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The assessment, released on Saturday, highlights severe violations of children’s rights across the globe, including deaths, injuries, displacement, malnutrition, lack of education, and disrupted healthcare.
Nearly 19% of the world’s children—over 473 million—are currently living in conflict zones, with 47.2 million children displaced by violence. From Gaza to Ukraine, Sudan to Myanmar, children are facing unprecedented levels of violence and suffering, with conflicts reaching their highest point since World War II.
The report reveals that thousands of children have been killed or injured, with Ukraine seeing more child casualties in the first nine months of 2024 than in all of 2023.
In Gaza, children continue to suffer devastating losses, while widespread reports of sexual violence against women and girls have emerged, particularly in conflict-ridden areas like Haiti, where sexual violence incidents against children increased by 1,000% this year.
An alarming 52 million children in conflict-affected regions are out of school, with children in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and other war zones missing out on years of education due to damaged or repurposed schools. Educational infrastructure destruction, alongside the insecurity near schools, exacerbates an already dire situation.
Malnutrition is also soaring in conflict zones, with hunger becoming a primary consequence of armed violence. Famine in Sudan and other regions has left children critically malnourished. In 2024, over half a million people in five conflict-affected countries face extreme food insecurity.
The report also underscores the growing health crisis for children. Nearly 40% of unvaccinated children live in conflict-affected countries, making them highly susceptible to diseases like measles and polio.
The lack of access to basic healthcare and security continues to worsen the health outcomes for these vulnerable children.
The mental health toll is also significant, as many children experience depression, nightmares, anxiety, and withdrawal as a result of exposure to violence and the loss of loved ones.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated, “By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict. This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage in the world’s unchecked wars.”
UNICEF is calling for urgent global action to protect children and ensure that they are not forgotten in the midst of global conflicts.
