2024 ‘one of the worst years in history’ for children

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

A new review of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, asserts that the impact of armed conflicts on children around the world reached devastating and likely record levels in 2024.

Having analysed the latest available data and prevailing global trends, UNICEF states that more children than ever are estimated to be either living in conflict zones or forcibly displaced due to conflict and violence, with a record number of children affected by conflict are having their rights violated.

These violations, the Fund highlights, include being killed or injured, out of school, missing life-saving vaccines, and being critically malnourished.

Obligation under international humanitarian law

UNICEF is calling for all parties to conflict, and for those with influence over them, to take decisive action to end the suffering of children, to ensure their rights are upheld, and to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Decrying that this number is only expected to grow, UNICEF points out that conflict drives approximately 80 per cent of all humanitarian needs around the world, disrupting access to essentials, including safe water, food and healthcare.

In addition, it documents that over 473 million children—more than one in six globally—now live in areas affected by conflict, with the world experiencing the highest number of conflicts since World War II.

One of worst years on record

“By almost every measure,” asserted UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, “2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF’s history—both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives.”

Russell observed that a child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished, or forced from their home—too often repeatedly—compared to a child living in places of peace.

“This must not be the new normal,” she appealed, “We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s unchecked wars.”

In the latest available data, from 2023, the United Nations verified a record 32,990 grave violations against 22,557 children, marking the highest number since Security Council-mandated monitoring began. 

The situation for women and girls is particularly concerning, with widespread reports of rape and sexual violence in conflict settings. 

Without food, healthcare, education

Education has been severely disrupted in conflict zones. More than 52 million children in countries affected by conflict are estimated to be out of school.

Children in the Gaza Strip, and a significant portion of children in Sudan, have missed out on more than a year of school, while in countries such as Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Syria, schools have been damaged, destroyed or repurposed, leaving millions of children without access to learning. 

Malnutrition among children in conflict zones has also risen to alarming levels, and there has been a devastating effect on children’s access to critical healthcare due to conflict.

Deprived of a childhood

“Children in war zones face a daily struggle for survival that deprives them of a childhood,” said Russell. “Their schools are bombed, homes destroyed, and families torn apart. They lose not only their safety and access to basic life-sustaining necessities, but also their chance to play, to learn, and to simply be children.

Decrying that the world is failing these children, the Executive Director appealed, “As we look towards 2025, we must do more to turn the tide and save and improve the lives of children.”