'No excuse for harming children during armed conflict': UN

UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, has voiced concern about "grave violations" against children.

"Let me be clear: there is no excuse for harming children during armed conflict," Gamba told a Security Council meeting on children and armed conflict on Wednesday.

The conflict in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and in Israel has escalated to an "unprecedented scale, inflicting unimaginable suffering" on thousands of children, said Gamba.

Violations across the entire situation increased by 155 percent, with 8,009 violations against 4,360 children verified, she said, adding that 23,000 additional violations against Palestinian and Israeli children have been reported and are commencing verification processes.

"Behind every incident of violations to the rights of children in situations of armed conflict lies the unique abhorrent experience of a child. We cannot forget this.

"Cooperation, solidarity, and the political will to mitigate, stop and ultimately end and prevent violations against children is the only way forward," she said.

Stressing that armed violence is "wreaking havoc" on children, Gamba said: "Let me remind all warring parties, whether state armed forces or non-state armed groups, that when they resort to armed force, in contradiction with the Charter of the United Nations, they cannot do so at the cost of the lives and well-being of children."

She said respect for international law, especially humanitarian and human rights law, is the "minimum prerequisite" for the protection of children.

"But despite the solid international consensus that has been reached on these matters, parties to conflict blatantly trample on child rights, with little or no consequences. This must stop," Gamba added.

'More children are being killed and maimed'

Deputy Executive Director of Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ted Chaiban, said the UN verified 32,990 grave violations against children in 2023.

"More children are being killed and maimed. More are being raped and subjected to other forms of sexual violence, and more instances of denial of humanitarian access to children, all by a significant margin," said Chaiban.

Turning to the Gaza onslaught, he said after nearly nine months of "horrible conflict," UNICEF and other humanitarian actors are still struggling to reach children in need.

"This is because we continue to face obstacles to the safe movements of aid into and throughout Gaza, and these obstacles are directly related to the increasing number of acutely malnourished children," he said, urging parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations to protect children and to immediately enter into a complete ceasefire.

On the situation in Sudan, Chaiban said it is home to "the largest child displacement crisis" in the world, with an estimated 4.6 million children displaced internally and across borders, and an almost 500 percent increase in grave violations.

He said more is needed, given the increased and verified violations against children.

"Distinguished Council members, members of the international community, you are in a unique position to help. We urge you, on behalf of children in conflict, to take more key actions," he said.

The UN recently released a report that shows a "shocking" rise in violations against children in conflict in 2023. The UN verified nearly 33,000 grave violations affecting more than 22,500 children, mainly boys, in 26 situations worldwide.