The findings are contained in the UN Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict for the year 2024, which presents what it describes as a “harrowing account” of the violence endured by children in conflict zones.
The United Nations has ranked Nigeria among the top five countries with the highest levels of grave violations against children in armed conflict, alongside Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, notably the Gaza Strip, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, and Haiti.
The findings are contained in the UN Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict for the year 2024, which presents what it describes as a “harrowing account” of the violence endured by children in conflict zones.
The report revealed that between 2022 and 2023, there were about 6,000 attacks targeting students, educators, and educational institutions, representing a 44% increase in attacks on schools.
It noted that “No child should risk death to learn,” while stressing that such violations threaten not only individual lives but the future of entire communities.
The UN also found that the use of schools for military purposes rose by 20%, while more than 10,000 students were killed, abducted, arrested, or harmed over the past year.
Nigeria Among Worst-Affected Countries
According to the report, the highest numbers of grave violations in 2024 were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (8,554), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (4,043), Somalia (2,568), Nigeria (2,436), and Haiti (2,269).
Most violations showed a sharp increase in 2024, including attacks on schools (44%) and rape and other forms of sexual violence (34%).
There was also a 17% increase in children as victims of multiple grave violations through the convergence of abduction, recruitment and use, and sexual violence — “representing an alarming escalation in brutality.”
The report highlighted the worsening condition of children in conflict, noting: “The sharp rise in the number of children subjected to multiple violations from 2,684 in 2023 to 3,137 in 2024, through the convergence of abduction, recruitment and sexual violence, represented an alarming escalation in brutality.”
It further revealed that “the number of cases of sexual violence increased by 35 per cent, including a dramatic increase in the number of cases of gang rape.”
Children Detained, Childhoods Stolen
In addition, more than 3,000 children were detained over their real or alleged association with armed groups, marking an increase from the previous year. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, stressed that these children should be treated first as victims.
At the same time, she warns that children caught in hostilities are being robbed of their childhood, as governments and armed groups continue to violate international laws that protect minors.
The report also flagged the growing dangers faced by humanitarian workers in conflict zones, observing that “the denial of humanitarian access has reached an alarming scale, with more humanitarian workers, including United Nations personnel, killed in 2024 than ever before.”
Marking the sixth observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the UN reiterated its call on governments to fully implement the Safe Schools Declaration and to invest in resilient education systems that guarantee safe access to learning.
To commemorate the day, UNESCO and partners will host a high-level event in Geneva under the theme “Challenging Narratives, Reshaping Action.”
The report concluded that despite worsening conditions in countries like Lebanon, Mozambique, and Haiti, where grave violations surged, nearly 16,500 children formerly associated with armed groups received protection or reintegration support in 2024, an increase from the previous year.
Since 2005, over 200,000 children have been released from conflict parties, it noted.
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