Half Billion Children Trapped in Conflict Face Grave Rights Offenses, Third Committee Told, as Delegate Stresses Minors ‘Innocent on Both Sides’

Every Gaza Child Out of School; Israeli Children Face ‘Immeasurable’ Psychological Toll of Living under Missile Threat, Speakers Report

Nearly half a billion children are now living in conflict zones worldwide, exposed to severe human rights violations, delegates told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural) today, calling for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access.

In an all-day debate on children’s rights, speakers condemned attacks on civilian populations and infrastructure, conflict-related sexual violence and recruitment of minors into armed groups.  Concurrently, they warned against the devastating impact of conflicts on children’s mental health, causing lifelong trauma and vulnerability to radicalization.

Over 15,000 children in Gaza have been violently killed by the blacklisted Israeli occupying forces, with over 20,000 missing, buried under the rubble or in mass graves, said the observer for the State of Palestine.  “Thousands have been maimed and their limbs amputated, with Gaza becoming the home of the largest number of amputee children in modern history,” she stated.  Every single child in Gaza is out of school as Israel destroyed 80 per cent of educational facilities there. Moreover, every single child there has been exposed to deeply distressing trauma and needs urgent psychosocial support.  She called for halting arms transfers to Israel and enforcing International Court of Justice orders, stressing that “Israel won’t stop until the provision of weapons stops”.

Condemning Israel’s attacks against Palestinian and Lebanese children, Kuwait’s delegate voiced alarm over the “horrifying” 250 per cent rise in child fatalities in the West Bank in 2024.  Continuing in their “clear disregard for international laws and norms,” Israeli forces have killed more than 100 children in 11 days during its aggression on Lebanese territory, she said, adding that the psychological trauma will affect children for life.  She denounced Israel’s targeted strikes on schools run by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), warning that an education gap will affect future generations.  “There is no excuse for killing children regardless of their colour, race or affiliation,” she stated, stressing that “children’s rights are not just words”. 

Israel “thirsts for blood,” said Syria’s representative, condemning the aggressor’s brutal crimes against children in Palestine, Lebanon and his country. Recalling Israeli strikes on a densely populated area of Damascus on 8 October, killing 9 people - including 3 girls - he urged the country to end its violent occupation of the Syrian Golan.  He asserted that children in Syria have been killed, mutilated and forced into combat while the United States’ forces plunder its national wealth and deprive children of their needs through unilateral coercive measures.

The representative of Yemen underlined that those who occupy the territories of others and import settlers to the colonized lands in the name of religion bear all responsibility for anything that happens to them.  “We are now eyewitnesses to the continuation of Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people,” he said, adding that “on both sides, children are innocent”.  Nevertheless, no steps have been taken toward accountability or to prevent the ongoing violence, he stressed, adding that Houthi militias recruit children to be “sacrificed” for political purposes.

Since 7 October 2023, said the youth delegate of Israel, “The lives of countless children have been shattered beyond measure.”  In a single day of terror, Israeli children were brutally murdered, orphaned and abducted.  In addition, hundreds of thousands of families have been or are still being evacuated from their homes due to a threat of attacks from Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran.  “This disruption of childhood extends beyond just physical displacement,” she underscored, adding that “the psychological toll of living under such constant threat is immeasurable, potentially leaving lasting scars on an entire generation”. On the children who have returned from Hamas captivity, she said they did not receive proper nutrition, stayed in spaces unfit for living for many days, and were psychologically and physically tortured.  Also, she added, “We must not forget the children who are still in captivity”. Asking if any State has spoken about the situation of children in Israel, she called on delegates to acknowledge the plight of all conflict-affected children, including those in Israel.

Highlights: 

• Delegates from the Middle East, Sudan, Mali, Haiti, Afghanistan and Myanmar highlight the impacts of armed conflict on children in their countries
• Speakers voice alarm over mental health problems, lifelong trauma, risk of sexual violence, trafficking of migrant children
• Vaccinations, education, reintegration, strengthened guardianship and foster care systems needed

Rejecting any form of violence against children, Sudan’s delegate said that the Rapid Support Forces terrorist group continues to violate international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which leads to an unprecedented deterioration of conditions faced by the children in Sudan. The Sudanese Armed Forces – despite the vast challenges before them – are committed to protecting children.  However, she underscored, “No children in Sudan will be able to enjoy safety and stability or fulfil their dreams and ambitions unless the grave violations that these militias continue to perpetrate daily cease”.

Amid the complex security situation in her country, Mali’s representative spotlighted national initiatives aimed at creating school cafeterias in rural areas, launching vaccination campaigns and combatting child labour and early marriage. Also, the Government has reformed its legislative framework involving minors in conflict zones to reintegrate those affected by violence.  She said that despite these efforts, challenges remain, including the safety of schools in war zones, access to social services and reintegration of child survivors of violence.

Haiti’s representative stressed that children displaced by conflicts and poverty are deprived of their basic rights and exposed to trafficking.  “This is currently the fate of Haitian migrant children,” she said.  Children in Haiti are victims of multiple human rights violations, compounded by general insecurity caused by armed gangs and the “disastrous” economic situation. To protect the enjoyment of children’s fundamental rights, the Government has distributed financial aid, school supplies and uniforms to 280,000 parents.  Also, she recalled that, in January, the Haitian Government and the UN signed a protocol to hand over to civilian actors the protection of children who were involved with armed gangs.

“Afghan children endure a relentless assault on their rights due to decades of armed conflict, systemic poverty and ongoing political instability,” said that country’s delegate, adding that over 14 million children are deprived of fundamental rights to education, health and protection.  Afghan children face recruitment by armed groups, widespread killing, abductions and sexual violence.  The use of explosive ordnance “has made our nation one of the deadliest for children, inflicting lifelong impairments and robbing them of their childhoods,” she said.  Also, since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, restrictions have intensified, denying millions of girls and women their education.  “Increasing risks of child marriage, forced marriage, trafficking and gender-based violence erase the voices of Afghan girls from the social fabric,” she observed, stating: “Every moment of inaction costs children their lives, dignity, and prospects.” 

Myanmar’s representative said that, since the illegal military coup in February 2021, the conflict has displaced over 3.4 million people, 40 per cent of whom are children.  As many as 6 million children are in critical need of humanitarian assistance and face disruptions to critical services, including health and education. Moreover, an increasing number of targeted assaults were taking place on schools and healthcare facilities by the military junta, he said, pointing to a viral video of a child holding his shoes and shooing away a jet. In 2024 alone, at least 600 children have already been killed or injured in Myanmar, he added.

Spotlighting the vulnerabilities of displaced children from Nagorno-Karabakh - many of whom are without parental care – Armenia’s delegate said their access to necessary educational and healthcare services has been ensured, pointing to around 17,000 displaced children being enrolled in public schools in Armenia, where they receive essential educational resources and psychosocial support.  She highlighted legislative changes enacted by her country, including inclusive and child-sensitive policies aiming to strengthen guardianship and foster care systems, and to prevent challenging life situations. 

“Children of Azerbaijan had suffered immensely from the occupation of our territories in the past 30 years,” said the country’s delegate, adding that 92 children were taken hostage, hundreds of thousands displaced, and 71 children are still missing after the conflict, “whose fate the concerned party consistently refrains from clarifying”.  She further highlighted measures taken to strengthen the country’s national child protection system and its Action Plan designed to implement the Strategy of Azerbaijan on Children for 2020 to 2030.