The plea of a child from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be protected from violence reflects the harsh reality faced by thousands of children caught in armed conflicts worldwide in 2025. A recent report submitted to the Human Rights Council by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict highlights how increasingly complex conflicts, the emergence of new armed actors, and the use of advanced technologies have severely weakened the protection of children. For the third year in a row, grave violations against children reached unprecedented levels in 2024, with similarly disturbing trends continuing throughout 2025. These challenges have been compounded by a global decline in humanitarian funding, which has significantly reduced the United Nations’ ability to monitor, verify, and respond to violations against children.
The report underscores that every grave violation represents a profound personal loss and a denial of a child’s fundamental rights. The Special Representative stressed that children must never be targeted or abused and called on all parties to conflict to fully comply with international law to ensure the protection of children’s rights. Despite clear legal frameworks, children continue to suffer widespread harm as conflicts intensify and humanitarian responses weaken.
Throughout 2025, the report documents persistent patterns of grave violations, including the killing and maiming of children, their recruitment and use by armed forces and groups, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access. Restricted access to humanitarian assistance has had devastating consequences for millions of children, particularly in Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In response to these challenges, new guidance was developed in mid-2025 to strengthen the monitoring and reporting of the denial of humanitarian access and to improve coordination among United Nations entities involved in child protection.
Killing and maiming remained among the most widespread violations in 2024, with children harmed by explosive weapons and, in some cases, dying from starvation, including in the Gaza Strip and Sudan. Many maiming incidents resulted in severe and lifelong disabilities. Attacks on schools and hospitals further exposed children to violence and disrupted access to education and healthcare. The increasing use of explosive weapons, emerging technologies, and the involvement of private military and security companies has further complicated efforts to protect children in conflict settings.
While expressing deep alarm over the continued rise in the killing and maiming of children, the Special Representative urged States to strengthen their commitments to international legal instruments regulating weapons, including anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions. She also called for greater efforts to protect civilians in populated areas, clear explosive remnants of war, provide risk education for children, and ensure victim assistance and stockpile destruction to reduce long-term harm.
As the international community approaches the 30th anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate, the report also notes areas of progress achieved through sustained United Nations engagement. Positive developments were recorded in several countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, and Ukraine, such as the release and reintegration of children, the adoption of protocols for transferring children from military to civilian care, and measures to end the military use of schools and hospitals.
The Office of the Special Representative has continued to strengthen child protection through advocacy and partnerships with civil society, academic institutions, and regional organisations. Collaboration has expanded through awareness initiatives and reinforced cooperation with regional and international bodies, as well as with United Nations human rights mechanisms. Despite these efforts, the scale and severity of violations remain deeply concerning, prompting renewed calls for States to fully implement international and regional legal obligations, protect schools from military use, and uphold the rights of children affected by armed conflict.
As the anniversary of the mandate approaches, the Special Representative emphasized the urgent need for renewed determination and collective action to change the reality for children living in conflict zones, stressing that protecting children’s rights requires sustained global commitment and decisive action.
