One in six children worldwide is currently living in a situation of armed conflict, warned the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, Nada Al-Nashif, on the occasion of the annual Children’s Rights Day.
Speaking at the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, she noted that in 2024, armed conflicts directly impacted around 470 million children, emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen prevention and protection mechanisms.
Bringing together states, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and children’s representatives, the meeting focused on the violations committed against children in war zones, as well as ways to enhance their protection, reintegration, and support.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN for Children and Armed Conflicts, Vanessa Frazier, highlighted that this discussion coincides with the 30th anniversary of the UN mandate on this issue. Despite some progress, serious violations against children remain at very high levels, she warned.
Frazier reminded that children continue to be killed, maimed, recruited, abducted, subjected to sexual violence, deprived of humanitarian aid, and affected by attacks on schools and hospitals.
She stressed the importance of fully integrating child protection into peace, security, humanitarian action, human rights, and development policies, while enhancing international cooperation. Frazier noted that over 40 action plans are currently in place between the UN, governments, and certain conflict parties to translate international obligations into concrete commitments.
Meanwhile, Benoît Van Keirsbilck, a member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, advocated for a priority effort in conflict prevention, emphasizing that the effects of conflicts extend over generations and that in some regions, children have known nothing but war since birth.
Cordula Droege, head of the legal department of the International Committee of the Red Cross, underlined that children already benefit from comprehensive protection under international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law.
According to her, the current crisis is not due to a lack of standards but to a weakening respect for the rule of law. She called on states to strengthen their political commitments to better protect civilians and children, especially in schools and populated areas.
All the speakers stressed the existence of a strong international normative framework, while pointing out that its implementation remains insufficient. They urged states to translate their commitments into concrete measures, placing the protection of children at the core of peace and security policies.
