More children than ever are currently living in conflict areas or have been forcibly displaced by violence. That reports UNICEF Saturday based on the most recent figures and trend analyzes on global conflicts. “The world is failing these children,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, in the press statement.
In total, more than 473 million children now live in conflict areas. The United Nations children’s rights organization makes this estimate based on figures from the Global Peace Index and it Peace Research Institute Oslo. This concerns one in six children worldwide – a record number.
‘2024 worst year ever’
Many of their rights are being violated, says UNICEF. For example, they do not have access to life-saving vaccines and clean water, they are severely malnourished, or they cannot go to school. Although children make up only a third of the world’s population, they are overrepresented among refugees and displaced people around the world.
In 2023, UNICEF registered a record number of serious rights violations against children, with 33,000 violations against at least 22,000 children – more than ever in UNICEF’s history. At the time, 2022 was already a record year with more than 28,000 violations against more than 19,000 children. The organization sees 2024 as the worst year ever for children and expects 2024 figures to exceed these records.
This year was also the deadliest on record for humanitarian workers. With 281 registered deceased care workers worldwide, these 2024 figures exceed previous records. UNICEF expects that the number of affected children and aid workers will increase even more as long as violent conflicts continue, mainly in Palestine, Ukraine, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Syria, Myanmar and Sudan.