UNICEF to Security Council: verified grave violations against children hit record highs

Sheema Sengupta, UNICEF representative, told the United Nations Security Council during a briefing that this year's Secretary-General report recorded the highest number of verified grave violations against children since the monitoring mechanism began, a 25% increase from 2023.

Sengupta said thousands of children were killed or maimed, and thousands more recruited, abducted, raped, or denied humanitarian assistance. "These are just the verified cases. We all know that the real number, the real scale of the harm is far higher," she said.

The rise in verified violations is concentrated across multiple conflicts. Sengupta cited more than 8,000 verified grave violations in Israel and the State of Palestine last year and named repeated incidents in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Ukraine, Lebanon and elsewhere. She identified two deeply disturbing trends: the increased use of explosive weapons in populated areas and a sharp rise in sexual and gender-based violence against children.

Sengupta said explosive weapons now account for over 70% of incidents that kill and maim children in many conflicts, and that their use destroys services and infrastructure that underpin health, education and safety. She warned that unexploded ordnance left in fields, schoolyards and alleys "is a death sentence waiting to be triggered." She also said verified cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence against children rose 35% in 2024 and noted underreporting because victims often fear stigma or retaliation.

She gave specific figures discussed in the briefing: over 16,000 children exited armed forces and groups in 2024 and received protection and reintegration support; Child Protection Partners reported nearly 10,000 cases of sexual and gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the first two months of 2025, with more than 40% involving children. Sengupta summarized the UNICEF estimate that "a child was raped every 30 minutes" during that turbulent period.

Sengupta highlighted examples of progress where political will or protocols exist: an action plan signed by the opposition Syrian National Army; a handover protocol in the Central African Republic to transfer children from armed groups to civilian care; indictments in Colombia for recruitment and sexual violence against children; and screening and age-assessment measures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to separate children from national security forces. She also noted that transitional authorities in Haiti created a joint task force for handover protocols and that governments in Iraq, Pakistan, Libya and the Philippines have made commitments to end grave violations.

UNICEF outlined six urgent actions for the Security Council and member states: demand that parties respect international humanitarian law and sign and implement action plans with the United Nations; stop the use and proliferation of explosive weapons in populated areas and support the political declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas as well as the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions; protect and expand humanitarian space so aid reaches children safely; support humanitarian engagement with non-state armed groups to improve protection of children; fund the children and armed conflict agenda to sustain monitoring, reintegration and survivor care; and condition military, financial or political support to parties to conflict on clear expectations for child protection.

Sengupta emphasized the strain on child protection work from budget cuts and threats to humanitarian access, saying reintegration programs, mental health services and specialized care for survivors were being reduced. She also called attention to the increased number of humanitarian and UN staff killed in 2024.

The briefing combined urgent appeals and concrete examples of both harm and progress. Sengupta concluded with an appeal to the council: "Children are not collateral damage. They're not soldiers. They're not bargaining chips. They're children, and they deserve to be safe." The presiding officer thanked Sengupta for her briefing.