(United Nations) Government forces were, for the first time since the start of UN monitoring thirty years ago, the main responsible for violations committed against children in conflict zones in 2025, according to a United Nations report consulted Wednesday by AFP.
The UN recorded 38,558 violations committed against children last year by all parties to armed conflicts. Murder and mutilation represent the majority of these crimes.
Of this total, state forces are at the origin of more violations than any other actor, an unprecedented situation since the launch of this monitoring mechanism.
“2025 has undoubtedly been one of the darkest chapters for child protection since monitoring began,†said Vanessa Frazier, UN special representative for children and armed conflict.
Israel and the Palestinian territories, grouped in the same category in the report, recorded by far the greatest number of violations, with 12,445 cases. The Israeli armed forces are held responsible for the vast majority of them, i.e. 9,465 violations.
Next come the Democratic Republic of Congo (4114), Nigeria (2560), Burma (2203) and Somalia (2195).
In Ukraine, the UN verified 1,899 serious violations, including the deaths of 94 children and the injuries of 753 others attributed to Russian armed forces.
Both the Israeli and Russian armies are on the UN’s “list of shame” to identify perpetrators of violations against children.
“When states, which have an obligation to protect children, instead contribute to their suffering, it reveals a profound erosion of respect for international law,” said Vanessa Frazier.
The report also highlights that the integration of artificial intelligence into certain weapons systems has contributed to the increase in the extent of harm caused to children.
It notably notes several attacks carried out by drones or other remotely controlled systems with limited human supervision.
The total number of “grave violations” thus reached its highest level since the creation of the UN mandate on children and armed conflict thirty years ago.
Murder and mutilation constitute the most frequent category of violations in 2025, with a 34% increase in child deaths compared to 2024.
Other abuses recorded include the recruitment of children by armed groups, kidnappings, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, as well as obstruction of humanitarian access.
