2024: One of the Worst Years in History for Children in Conflict
December 27, 2024
Geneva, Switzerland – The year 2024 has been marked by unprecedented levels of violence and displacement, leaving millions of children around the world facing unimaginable horrors. According to a new report released today by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2024 will go down as one of the worst years in history for children in conflict.
The report, titled “Invisible Crisis: The Impact of Conflict on Children in 2024,” paints a grim picture of the devastating toll that armed conflict is having on children worldwide. Key findings include:
- Over 150 million children were directly affected by armed conflict in 2024, the highest number in a single year since UNICEF began tracking data.
- Nearly 100 million children were displaced from their homes due to conflict, the highest number since World War II.
- More than 50,000 children were killed or injured in conflict zones, a 20% increase from the previous year.
- Millions of children were denied access to essential services such as education, healthcare, and safe drinking water.
- Children were increasingly being used as child soldiers, subjected to sexual violence, and denied their basic rights.
“2024 has been a year of unimaginable suffering for millions of children around the world,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Children have been killed, injured, displaced, and denied their basic rights in record numbers. This is a crisis that must not be ignored.”
The report highlights several factors that have contributed to the worsening crisis for children in conflict, including:
- Increased intensity and duration of conflicts: Armed conflicts are lasting longer and becoming more complex, with no end in sight in many cases.
- Targeting of civilians: Civilians, including children, are increasingly being targeted in attacks, often deliberately.
- Use of explosive weapons: Explosive weapons, such as airstrikes and artillery, are having a devastating impact on children, causing widespread injuries and deaths.
- Lack of access to humanitarian aid: Humanitarian organizations are often unable to reach children in conflict zones due to security restrictions and bureaucratic obstacles.
UNICEF calls for urgent action to address the crisis facing children in conflict. The organization is urging governments to:
- End the fighting: Stop the use of force against civilians and negotiate peace agreements to end conflicts.
- Protect children: Uphold international law and protect children from violence, exploitation, and abuse.
- Provide humanitarian aid: Ensure that humanitarian organizations have safe and unhindered access to children in need.
- Invest in education and other essential services: Provide children with access to education, healthcare, safe water, and other vital services.
- Support children’s rights: Ratify and implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international agreements that protect children.
“The world cannot stand idly by as the rights of millions of children are trampled on,” said Fore. “We must act now to stop this crisis and ensure that children in conflict have a chance for a brighter future.”
The full UNICEF report, “Invisible Crisis: The Impact of Conflict on Children in 2024,” is available on the UNICEF website: www.unicef.org/reports/invisible-crisis
2024 ‘one of the worst years in history for children in conflict’
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