Violence against children hit ‘unprecedented levels' in 2024: UN
With more than 4,500 killed and 7,000 injured, children continue to bear 'the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks,' the report said. PHOTO: AFP
NEW YORK - From Gaza to the Democratic Republic of Congo, violence against children in conflict zones reached 'unprecedented levels' in 2024, a United Nations annual report said on June 19.
'In 2024, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25 per cent surge in the number of grave violations in comparison with 2023,' according to the report from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The report verified 41,370 grave violations against children in 2024 – including 36,221 committed in 2024 and 5,149 committed previously but confirmed in 2024 – the highest number since the monitoring tool was established nearly 30 years ago.
The new high beats 2023, another record year, which itself represented a 21 per cent increase over the preceding year.
With more than 4,500 killed and 7,000 injured, children continue to bear 'the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks,' the report said.
There was also a marked increase in the number of child victims of multiple violations to 22,495.
'The cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play ball – but instead have been forced to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings – should keep all of us awake at night,' said Ms Virginia Gamba, special representative of the UN secretary-general for children and armed conflict.
'This must serve as a wake-up call. We are at the point of no return.'
In its annual report, the UN compiles violations of the rights of children, those aged under 18, in some 20 conflict zones around the world.
In its appendix, a 'list of shame' calls out those responsible for these violations – a powerful coalition of Haitian gangs was added in 2025 – which include child killings and mutilations, recruitment to violence, kidnappings, denial of humanitarian aid and sexual violence.
The Israeli armed forces, which were named in 2024 along with Palestinian militant group Hamas, remain on the list.
Conflict casualties
The Palestinian territories occupy the top spot in the dismal rankings, with more than 8,500 serious violations, the vast majority attributed to Israeli forces, including more than 4,800 in the Gaza Strip.
This figure includes confirmation of 1,259 Palestinian children killed in Gaza, and the UN notes it is currently verifying information on an additional 4,470 children killed in 2024 in the war-torn territory.
Violence erupted there following Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023.
The report also calls out Israel's military operations in Lebanon, where more than 500 children were killed or injured in 2024.
Following the Palestinian territories, the countries where the UN recorded the most violence against children in 2024 are: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (more than 4,000 grave violations), Somalia (more than 2,500), Nigeria (nearly 2,500), and Haiti (more than 2,200).
'List of shame' inductees include Haitian gang coalition 'Viv Ansanm,' blamed for a 490 per cent increase in violations, including child recruitment, murders and gang rapes.
Another addition to the list is Colombian drug cartel Clan del Golfo, which is accused of child recruitment.
Colombia in general recorded a significant increase in cases of forced recruitment, with 450 children in 2024 compared to 262 the previous year.
Remaining on the list are the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been fighting in Sudan for more than two years.
Also listed again is the Russian army for its actions in Ukraine, where the report records a 105 per cent increase in serious violations between 2023 and 2024. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
UN watchdog warns of nuclear disaster if Israel attacks Iran's Bushehr plant
A strike on Iran's southern nuclear plant Bushehr would spell the most serious consequences, as it contains thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. PHOTO: REUTERS – The Middle East risks a nuclear catastrophe if Israel strikes Iran's southern nuclear plant of Bushehr, the head of the UN atomic watchdog warned on June 20. Mr Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the UN Security Council that he has not yet detected radiation resulting from Israel's week-long military campaign against Iran, including attacks on nuclear sites. But he said that a strike on Bushehr – the Middle East's first civilian nuclear reactor, which so far appears to have been spared – would spell the most serious consequences as it contains thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. 'Countries of the region have reached out directly to me over the past few hours to express their concerns, and I want to make it absolutely and completely clear: in case of an attack on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity,' Mr Grossi said. He warned of equally dire consequences even if Israel strikes the lines that supply electricity to Bushehr, saying such disabling of power could trigger a meltdown. In a worst-case scenario, evacuations and orders to take shelter would need to be issued for areas within several hundred kilometres of Bushehr – which would include population centres in Gulf Arab monarchies, a major artery of the global economy. The population would also need to take iodine and may see restrictions in food supply, Mr Grossi added. Construction on Bushehr began in the 1970s as the pro-Western shah sought to develop civilian nuclear power. German scientists initially worked on the plant. Since the 1990s, however, the Islamic republic has worked with Russia to develop and maintain Bushehr. Mr Grossi appealed for a diplomatic solution and repeated his willingness to travel to negotiate a deal. 'The IAEA can guarantee through a watertight inspection system that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran,' he said. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Big-name porn sites back online in France after age check row
A court suspended a decision requiring pornographic platforms based in the EU to verify users' ages. PHOTO: AFP PARIS – Major adult websites Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube were back online in France on June 20 after a court here suspended a decision requiring pornographic platforms based in the EU to verify users' ages. France has gradually introduced requirements for all adult websites to have users confirm their age with details such as a credit card or ID document. The aim is to prevent minors from accessing pornography. But the Paris administrative tribunal on June 16 suspended a government decree while investigating whether it was compatible with EU legislation. The French government has shared its intention to appeal to the Council of State, France's highest administrative court. The three platforms' owner, Aylo, said the decree's suspension was an 'opportunity to reconsider more efficient approaches' to age verification. Aylo, based in Cyprus, made its websites unavailable in France in early June as a protest against the French decree. Failure to comply could have led to sanctions, including fines or the blocking of the websites. Aylo argued that this was an ineffective mechanism that exposed people's data to bad actors, hacks or leaks. 'Requiring you to repeatedly provide sensitive personal information creates an unacceptable security risk that we refuse to impose on our users,' the company said in a message displayed on the sites' home pages earlier in June. About 40 per cent of children in France access porn sites every month, according to a 2024 study by France's Arcom audiovisual watchdog. In a bid to preserve privacy, the government decree also required operators to offer a third-party 'double-blind' option that would prevent the platforms from seeing users' identifying information. Aylo, which reports seven million visitors in France daily across its various platforms, has called instead for governments to require makers of operating systems such as Apple, Microsoft and Google to verify users' ages at the level of individual devices. The platform also argues that the French law 'diverts users to thousands of sites that deliberately circumvent regulations' and fails to moderate videos for issues such as the age and consent of performers. Other countries such as Britain and Germany also enforce age-related access restrictions to adult websites. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US Supreme Court upholds law allowing Palestinian authorities to be sued over attacks
FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen the morning before justices are expected to issue opinions in pending cases, in Washington, U.S., June 14, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld on Friday a statute passed by Congress to facilitate lawsuits against Palestinian authorities by Americans killed or injured in attacks abroad as plaintiffs pursue monetary damages for violence years ago in Israel and the West Bank. The 9-0 ruling overturned a lower court's decision that the 2019 law, the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, violated the rights of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization to due process under the U.S. Constitution. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the ruling, said the 2019 jurisdictional law comported with due process rights enshrined in the Constitution's Fifth Amendment. "It is permissible for the federal government to craft a narrow jurisdictional provision that ensures, as part of a broader foreign policy agenda, that Americans injured or killed by acts of terror have an adequate forum in which to vindicate their right" to compensation under a federal law known as the Antiterrorism Act of 1990, Roberts wrote. The U.S. government and a group of American victims and their families had appealed the lower court's decision that struck down a provision of the law. Among the plaintiffs are families who in 2015 won a $655 million judgment in a civil case alleging that the Palestinian organizations were responsible for a series of shootings and bombings around Jerusalem from 2002 to 2004. They also include relatives of Ari Fuld, a Jewish settler in the Israel-occupied West Bank who was fatally stabbed by a Palestinian in 2018. "The plaintiffs, U.S. families who had loved ones maimed or murdered in PLO-sponsored terror attacks, have been waiting for justice for many years," said Kent Yalowitz, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. "I am very hopeful that the case will soon be resolved without subjecting these families to further protracted and unnecessary litigation," Yalowitz added. The ongoing violence involving Israel and the Palestinians served as a backdrop to the case. U.S. courts for years have grappled over whether they have jurisdiction in cases involving the Palestinian Authority and PLO for actions taken abroad. Under the language at issue in the 2019 law, the PLO and Palestinian Authority automatically "consent" to jurisdiction if they conduct certain activities in the United States or make payments to people who attack Americans. Roberts in Friday's ruling wrote that Congress and the president enacted the jurisdictional law based on their "considered judgment to subject the PLO and PA (Palestinian Authority) to liability in U.S. courts as part of a comprehensive legal response to 'halt, deter and disrupt' acts of international terrorism that threaten the life and limb of American citizens." New York-based U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman ruled in 2022 that the law violated the due process rights of the PLO and Palestinian Authority. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling. President Joe Biden's administration initiated the government's appeal, which subsequently was taken up by President Donald Trump's administration. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case on April 1. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
