Meet the polygamists of the Bible
Despite robust and detailed international humanitarian law and guidelines that strictly prohibit the targeting of civilians and, specifically, advocate for the protection of children, 2024 has been the deadliest year for children worldwide. Abrupt violence in Gaza and Lebanon have, in particular, contributed toward the shocking increased numbers of children killed or maimed due to war and conflict. State and non-state armed groups must practice restraint to ensure this worrying trend does not continue.
Do you wish to learn more about the challenges children in conflict zones are experiencing? Click through this gallery to find out more.
Over 400 million children are trapped in areas where there is violent conflict. Despite the clear guidelines and regulations outlined in international humanitarian law, attacks on children have tripled since 2010.
Beyond the trauma of war and violence, children are sometimes left orphaned or separated from their caregivers. Save the Children outlines that one in six of the world’s children live in conflict zones.
According to UNICEF, as of February 2024, a minimum of 17,000 children were either orphaned or separated from their parents in Gaza.
Reports show that since the beginning of the war on Gaza, at least 17,400 children have been killed, with many others trapped under rubble or otherwise unaccounted for.
Tens of thousands of children have been left injured, many permanently maimed. Physicians report shocking numbers of amputations due to Israeli airstrikes. Due to limited medical supplies, many of these surgeries were performed without anesthesia.
According to Save the Children, in the first three months of the conflict alone, more than 10 Gazan children lost either one or both of their legs per day.
Before the war began in Gaza, UNICEF had estimated that half a million children were in need of psychosocial support. Today, that number is well over one million.
In just two months of Israel’s war on Lebanon, more than 200 children were killed. An average of three children were killed per day from September to November 2024.
Hundreds of thousands of children were left homeless in Lebanon. Schools were forced to close as escalating Israeli airstrikes paralyzed life throughout most of southern Lebanon and its capital, Beirut.
In the first year and half of the war in Ukraine, over 500 children had been killed in Russian attacks. Well over one thousand more have also been left injured.
In July 2024, a Russian airstrike targeted a children’s hospital in Kyiv, killing five children and leaving 190 injured.
More than a decade since the conflict in Syria began, children have faced the horrors of war. Over 30,100 children were killed in Syria between 2011-2023, with nearly 200 dying by torture.
An additional 5,229 children remain forcibly disappeared or detained by armed groups. These actions have overwhelming occurred at the hands of the Syrian regime forces. Families continue desperately searching for their children’s whereabouts.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has not spared its children. By 2023, at least 190 children were victims of war, with an additional 1,700 left injured. Due to the inconsistency of reporting activities, the numbers are likely much higher.
The escalating conflict in Myanmar has also placed children at the center of devastation. Of the 3.4 million people who have been displaced across the country, over 40% are children.
In 2024 alone, 650 have been killed or maimed due to the violence in Myanmar. A November 2024 airstrike in a church compound killed seven children who were playing soccer on the grounds.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is considered the “worst place in the world to be a child,” according to charity War Child. This is largely due to the recruitment of children by armed forces, high rates of sexual violence, and the killing and maiming of children in the country.
Of the children that survive the horrors of violence and war, survival is only the beginning. High rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions are rampant for children living in contexts of conflict.
Indeed, children in contexts of perpetual conflict, such as Syria, Gaza, Haiti, and Yemen, among other areas around the world, are at risk for lifelong physical and psychological harm.
Temporary or permanent interruptions of access to education in areas of conflict can also have long-lasting effects on children’s development. In many areas of conflict, schools are repurposed into makeshift shelters.
Children who have endured malnutrition or starvation, the denial of medication or treatments, or are going without other vital needs may face long-term implications in terms of development and well-being.
Many children in war-torn countries live each day not knowing if it is their last. Under bombardment and other distressing uncertainties, some children may have also witnessed their families, friends, or even their entire neighborhood die.
Displaced children may have also experienced the destruction of their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. The UNHCR estimates that 47% of forcibly displaced people consist of children.
On average, between 2018 and 2023, two million children were born as refugees on an annual basis. In 2023, there were approximately 47.2 million children considered displaced or refugees across the world.
The number of displaced and refugee children more than doubled since 2010, resulting in children becoming the most overrepresented groups of the total refugee population.
The numbers are striking. Although children make up just one-third of the global population, they comprise 40% of the world refugee population.
War Child CEO Rob Williams states: “This isn’t just a bad time to be a child, this is one of the most dangerous times to be a child in recent history.”
International humanitarian law pertaining to the protection of children in contexts of armed conflict is robust. Yet both state and non-state armed groups continue to violate these regulations.
The shocking numbers accompanying the realities for children around the world trapped in contexts of war and conflict should, at minimum, inspire restraint. The lives of all civilians and civilian infrastructure should be protected to mitigate harm against children.
Sources: (UNICEF) (Al Jazeera) (Syrian Network for Human Rights) (UNHCR) (Migration Data Portal) (War Child) (International Committee of the Red Cross)
See also: Russia, Iran, China, and the West’s strategic influence on Syria
When children are the target of conflict
From Ukraine to Gaza
LIFESTYLE War
Despite robust and detailed international humanitarian law and guidelines that strictly prohibit the targeting of civilians and, specifically, advocate for the protection of children, 2024 has been the deadliest year for children worldwide. Abrupt violence in Gaza and Lebanon have, in particular, contributed toward the shocking increased numbers of children killed or maimed due to war and conflict. State and non-state armed groups must practice restraint to ensure this worrying trend does not continue.
Do you wish to learn more about the challenges children in conflict zones are experiencing? Click through this gallery to find out more.