For millions of children, just another day of dodging bombs and bullets

From Palestine's Gaza to Sudan and Ukraine to Myanmar and in other conflict zones, children are bearing the brunt of relentless violence, caught in wars that they don’t understand – losing close family members, forced out of homes and schools, and left without access to essentials like food, water, and healthcare.

World Children's Day is observed annually on November 20 to promote togetherness, awareness of children’s rights, and actions to improve their welfare. It also marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.

With 181 million children—one in four globally—trapped in severe food poverty, malnutrition poses a life-threatening reality, according to UNICEF.

At the same time, climate crisis is emerging as one of the most pressing threats, with a billion children at extremely high risk from rising temperatures and worsening disasters.

Rising temperatures in Europe and Central Asia alone claim the lives of nearly 400 children annually.

From heat stress and unsafe water to displacement and lost livelihoods, these challenges are shaping a grim future for a generation facing three times the climate disasters of their grandparents.

Here are the global hotspots where children are suffering from wars and conflicts. While some of these conflicts are well-documented, other places are far away from the spotlights.

Palestine

Israel’s war on Palestinians is heaping catastrophic consequences on children.

Since the October 7, 2023, over 14,000 children have reportedly been killed, with thousands more injured, as indiscriminate bombings target even declared safe zones, according to UNICEF.

In the first month alone of Israel's war on Gaza, child casualties in Gaza were ten times greater than in the first year of the war in Ukraine.

With no safe spaces, children face unimaginable horrors, including physical maiming, with over ten children losing limbs daily. The lack of adequate medical care worsens their suffering, while nearly all of Gaza’s children are severely food insecure and at risk of famine.

Displacement is rampant, with 1.9 million people—nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s population—internally displaced.

Half are children, many having lost their homes, families, and any sense of stability. Schools, which often serve as shelters, have been disproportionately targeted, with 226 attacks documented since the conflict began last year.

These strikes have destroyed over 95 percent of schools, leaving 658,000 school-aged children disconnected from formal education. As trauma, malnutrition, and mental distress grow, children in Gaza face an uncertain future marked by heightened risks of child labour, early marriage, and lifelong psychological damage.

Despite international humanitarian law, attacks on schools and shelters persist, signalling a grim precedent where children and their sanctuaries are increasingly on the frontlines of war.

Palestinian children are the only children in the world systematically prosecuted in military courts, a practice implemented exclusively by Israel.

The Palestinian Commission has revealed that over 650 children from the occupied West Bank and an unknown number from Gaza have been detained since October as of July 2024, with approximately 250 still imprisoned. Many children are prosecuted for alleged stone-throwing, which can result in sentences of up to 20 years.

Testimonies gathered by Save the Children indicate worsening conditions for these children in Israeli-run prisons, including starvation, abuse, sexual violence, and outbreaks of infectious diseases like scabies, particularly since the escalation of the Israeli invasion last October.

On July 19, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel's policies in the occupied Palestinian territories unlawful. Arrested children report systemic abuse, including night raids, binding, blindfolding, verbal humiliation, and intimidation. Over 97 percent had their hands tied, and 89 percent were blindfolded during their detention.

Amid Israel's strikes on civilians, the plight of these detained children remains underreported, underscoring the gravity of the humanitarian crisis.

Lebanon

Israel’s war on Lebanon has left hundreds of thousands of children homeless, with disproportionate attacks frequently targeting vital infrastructure, including medical facilities and schools.

On October 1, 2024, Israel escalated its war in the region by invading southern Lebanon, marking an intensification of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict, which itself is a spillover from its war on Gaza.

Despite efforts to reopen schools for children in early November, escalating attacks forced their closure once again, leaving children without access to education.

The psychological impact on children is becoming increasingly evident, with alarming signs of emotional distress that mirror the devastation seen in besieged Gaza. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder stated, “The number of over 200 (children killed) is just in the last two months. It's at least 231 since the start of the war last year.”

Israeli strikes have displaced more than 400,000 children, many living in overcrowded shelters where conditions are harsh, putting them at high risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera, as well as skin diseases.

Save the Children said, “Over 400,000 children forced from their homes by the escalating conflict in Lebanon are at risk of skin diseases, cholera, and other waterborne diseases due to overcrowded, basic conditions in collective shelters and a lack of water and sanitation facilities.”

Approximately 190,000 people, including many children, are now residing in 1,094 collective shelters, repurposed schools, and community centers.

In the last seven weeks, around 300,000 children have fled Lebanon to Syria, only to arrive in a country with its own severe humanitarian needs.

“An estimated 70 percent of the people being displaced from Lebanon to Syria are Syrians, with the remainder Lebanese or other nationalities. The UN estimates that approximately 60% are children and adolescents,” said Save the Children.

These displaced children are vulnerable, with many travelling alone, separated from their families, and at risk of abuse, illness, and hunger as winter approaches.

Ukraine

Over 1,000 days of an ongoing Russia-Ukraine war have left an indelible mark on children.

As of November 2024, at least 2,406 children have been killed or injured, including 659 fatalities and 1,747 injuries, according to UNICEF.

This equates to at least 16 children killed or wounded every week. Millions more face disrupted lives due to unrelenting attacks, living without consistent access to safe water, electricity, or essential supplies.

The escalation of hostilities since mid-2024 has amplified the crisis, increasing civilian casualties and leaving children in constant fear. Many spend up to six hours a day sheltering from air raid sirens, unable to escape the trauma of war.

Beyond physical harm, the psychological scars from witnessing destruction and displacement are immense.

Sudan

The civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has caused widespread displacement and hunger in the nation.

Sudan is facing the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 11 million people displaced, including 2.8 million children under five, according to IOM data.

Save the Children reported that 5.8 million children are affected by displacement, with many living in dire conditions in camps, informal settlements, or public buildings. These children lack essential resources like clean water, healthcare, and nutritious food.

In Al Jazirah state alone, at least 10 children were killed and 43 injured in the past week, with widespread reports of sexual violence against girls as young as 13. “We are urgently calling on the international community to take meaningful and urgent political action,” said Mohamed Abdiladif, Interim Country Director for Save the Children in Sudan.

“Sudanese children are surviving bombs and bullets, only to risk dying from starvation and disease…,” the director added.

Hunger is escalating to famine levels in half of Sudan's 18 states, pushing communities to eat grass to survive.

Over 20,000 people, including children, have died since the conflict began in April 2023, compounding the humanitarian crisis. Girls face heightened risks, with 3.2 million displaced girls under 18 vulnerable to sexual violence, forced marriage, and exploitation.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the DRC, ongoing conflicts between government forces, militias, and foreign-backed groups in eastern regions such as North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri directly affect children.

In North Kivu, eastern DRC, ongoing conflict between armed groups and the Congolese army has displaced 2.7 million people, including over 630,000 living in camps around Goma, where children and adolescents are especially vulnerable.

This displacement exacerbates the mpox crisis, as children in overcrowded camps face increased exposure to disease, inadequate testing, and a lack of vaccines. Across Africa, mpox cases have surpassed 46,000 this year, including over 1,000 fatalities, with the DRC and Burundi accounting for 92 percent of the continent’s cases.

A new, aggressive strain of mpox is spreading rapidly among children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi, where cases have surged since mid-August 2024, with the DRC seeing a 130% increase, rising from 11,300 to 25,600 suspected cases, according to Save Children organisation.

In Burundi, confirmed cases among children have jumped from 89 to approximately 1,100 in the same period. Children are nearly four times more likely to die from the virus than adults, with the risks heightened by poor sanitation, limited healthcare, and widespread malnutrition.

Haiti

Meanwhile, children in Haiti are enduring a worsening crisis amid escalating violence by armed gangs controlling large portions of the country, particularly in Port-au-Prince.

Armed groups engage in kidnappings, sexual violence, and extortion, which displace families and disrupt education. Children are often recruited by gangs or face exploitation.

Of the 3.9 million school-aged children in the country, over 1 million have faced obstacles in accessing education due to displacement and insecurity. Since January 2024, more than 900 schools out of nearly 20,000 have been closed, attacked, or repurposed as shelters for displaced families, directly affecting 180,000 children.

The ongoing violence has displaced over 210,000 school-aged children, and the number of people in need of assistance in the education sector has risen to 1.5 million—a 25 percent increase since the start of the year.

Over 300,000 children have lost access to education, with schools attacked, closed, or repurposed as shelters for displaced families.

Alarmingly, reports show a 1,000 percent increase in sexual violence against children in 2024 compared to the previous year. Armed gangs control territories where 2.7 million people, including 1.6 million women and children, reside, with children making up as much as half of the gang members.

Nearly 703,000 people are displaced, over half of whom are children, and the education sector is in disarray, with over a million school-aged children unable to access schooling due to violence and insecurity.

The situation in Haiti is further exacerbated by a cholera outbreak, with nearly 35,000 confirmed cases as of June 2024. High levels of infant and maternal mortality persist, and poor access to education and healthcare continue to hinder human development. Children in Haiti are at severe risk, with armed gangs not only disrupting daily life but also using sexual violence as a weapon of war.

A child born in Haiti today is estimated to achieve only 45 percent of their potential productivity due to limited access to quality education and healthcare.

Sahel

The Sahel region, comprising countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, is facing one of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises in the world.

According to UNICEF, around 10.5 million children urgently need humanitarian assistance due to armed violence, insecurity, and widespread displacement.

Nearly 2 million children have been deprived of education, and the region has one of the highest rates of out-of-school children globally, with girls, children with disabilities, and those living in conflict zones being especially affected.

Armed groups and military forces have targeted schools, leading to the closure of over 8,400 schools in 2023 alone. This represents a 68 percent increase from the previous year.

Additionally, the ongoing conflict has severely disrupted health systems, with nearly 470 health centres shut down, exacerbating already high rates of malnutrition.

In 2024, nearly 896,000 children under five in the central Sahel are expected to suffer from severe wasting, with a particularly alarming situation in Niger.

The violence and instability in the region have left children vulnerable to exploitation, disease, and death, with armed conflict further endangering their survival and development. The crisis has made it increasingly difficult for children to access basic rights, including education, nutrition, and healthcare.

The region's vulnerability is compounded by the onset of the rainy season. Since April 2024, 703 cases of flooding have affected over 67,000 households, including 155,084 children in Mali.

The floods have caused significant damage, destroying homes, latrines, and wells and leaving thousands without safe shelter. Over 175 schools are currently occupied by displaced families, with 168 schools damaged and only 56 functional, just as the new school year begins.

Myanmar

Myanmar’s civil conflict has seen the military target ethnic minorities with acts against Muslims, particularly the Rohingya community in Rakhine State.

Rohingya children, in particular, face systematic persecution, including denial of citizenship, forced displacement, and violence.

Reports highlight mass killings, sexual violence, and destruction of homes and villages by Myanmar's military, often described as acts of genocide against this predominantly Muslim minority.

Myanmar's humanitarian situation remains dire, with over 3.4 million internally displaced people facing the compounded impacts of ongoing conflict, severe flooding, and widespread food insecurity. Among them, 6 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Children are among the most vulnerable, facing disrupted education, family separation, psychological distress, and heightened risks of injury or death from armed conflicts and natural disasters.

Heavy flooding in September, worsened by Typhoon Yagi, affected over 1 million people, including 300,000 children, and destroyed critical infrastructure such as schools and health centres.

The situation in Rakhine is especially dire, with UNICEF warning of “a famine in the making.”

The mostly-Muslim Rohingya community, already displaced by the 2017 military crackdown, faces a food crisis with predictions that domestic production will only meet 20 percent of the population’s needs by early 2025.

Declining rice production, halted trade, and ongoing displacement have put over 2 million people at risk of starvation. Nearly 25 percent of children in the region have dropped out of school, while access to healthcare, clean water, and sanitation is becoming unattainable for many. Immediate international intervention is critical to prevent further loss of life.

South Sudan

South Sudan’s children are affected by ongoing conflict between government forces and rebel groups, exacerbated by tribal clashes.

South Sudan faces a dire humanitarian crisis, with 57 percent of its population projected to be acutely food insecure during next year’s lean season, according to the latest IPC report. This includes over 2.1 million children at risk of malnutrition, compounded by limited access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and healthcare.

UNICEF’s South Sudan representative, Hamida Lasseko, emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating, “Malnutrition is the end result of a series of crises. We are deeply concerned that the number of children and mothers at risk of malnutrition will continue to increase unless efforts to prevent malnutrition by addressing its root causes are scaled up.”

The crisis is worsened by record flooding and the massive influx of refugees escaping the war in neighbouring Sudan.

With 85 percent of returnees from Sudan expected to face food insecurity, the humanitarian burden on South Sudan is immense. Children repeatedly return to malnutrition centres as illnesses linked to inadequate water and sanitation exacerbate their vulnerability.

Immediate international aid and systemic interventions are essential to avert a large-scale loss of life among South Sudan’s youngest and most vulnerable population.