For 20 months, the world has looked on in horror at the atrocities inflicted on Palestinian children by Israeli forces, live-streamed on our TV channels and social media. They have been bombed, shot, starved, and displaced. Their homes, schools, and hospitals have been systematically destroyed. Their rights are being violated on a scale, and at a pace, unprecedented in modern conflict.
But this is not an anomaly. It is an extreme example of a global trend of rising violence against children that is devastating their lives and futures. The international community is systematically failing to protect them, perpetuating a cycle of impunity by not holding perpetrators properly accountable.
New figures published in the UN Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict reveal that grave violations of children’s rights reached a record high in 2024 – up by a staggering 25% compared to 2023. More than 41,000 grave violations were verified in total, with the highest numbers recorded in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), DRC, Somalia, Nigeria and Haiti. Israeli armed forces were the biggest perpetrators, responsible for 7,774 violations across the oPt, Lebanon and Syria.
Save the Children analysis of the report finds that sexual violence against children is now double the level it was at 5 years ago.
And these figures are just the tip of the iceberg, representing only those cases the UN was able to verify.
Behind these numbers are individual children - from the child facing famine under siege in North Darfur, to the child in Ukraine for whom air raid sirens have become the soundtrack to their daily lives.
All children have the right to a safe, peaceful and happy childhood, free from violence and fear. But the laws and norms designed to protect them are falling apart. Without urgent action from the international community, war will become a free-for-all where nothing is off limits.
What is the Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) agenda?
Impunity is the root cause of children’s suffering in conflict. The UN’s Children and Armed Conflict agenda matters because it is one of the most important tools available to hold those who harm them accountable.
The six grave violations against children in conflict were identified almost 30 years ago by the UN Security Council (UNSC) and are reported on every year in the UN Secretary-General’s report.
They are: killing and maiming, sexual violence, denial of humanitarian access, abduction, attacks on schools or hospitals, and recruitment and use.
The Children and Armed Conflict report contains an Annex where armed forces or armed groups responsible for particularly egregious and widespread grave violations against children are listed.
The list has become known as the ‘list of shame’. By identifying and exposing perpetrators, the list provides an important first step towards accountability. Listed parties (forces/groups) are supposed to agree and implement Action Plans with the UN to end grave violations and better protect children. Once they’ve done so, they can be removed from the list.
This has led to significant progress over the years. 38 Action Plans have been signed, of which 12 have been fully complied with and the parties delisted. For example, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Nigeria was delisted in 2021 after implementing an Action Plan to end the recruitment and use of children. Overall, more than 200,000 children globally have been freed from armed forces or armed groups through the CAAC process.
However, this vital work is undermined when politics and double standards get in the way. The ability of some countries with powerful friends to escape the ‘list of shame’ has perpetuated cycles of impunity, with children paying the price. For years, Israeli armed forces were given a free pass for killing and maiming Palestinian children, before the scale of atrocities after October 2023 made it impossible for them to escape the list1. This year they have not been listed for killing and maiming 541 children in Lebanon in 2024.
The role of the UK
Save the Children is calling on the UK Government to develop and implement the UK’s first ever Children and Armed Conflict Strategy – bringing together all the tools at its disposal to hold perpetrators accountable and protect children. This is not only a moral and legal obligation, but also an essential step to strengthen global peace and security.
The UK has a particular opportunity and responsibility to lead on CAAC. For example, it has a seat at the most powerful tables in the world, including the UN Security Council, where it is one of just five permanent members. It should ensure that children are prioritized in all relevant aspects of the Council’s work.
With the UN system under severe pressure, it is vital that the UK Government provides sustained diplomatic and financial support for the CAAC agenda, and advocates for an independent, evidence-based listing process, free from geopolitical considerations.
The UK Government must end its own double standards and suspend all arms transfers to the Government of Israel, given the clear risk they will be used to commit further grave violations against children. Instead, the UK Government should focus on influencing Israel to cooperate with the CAAC process and end grave violations.
There is no escaping the reality that UK aid cuts will harm children and be a blow to UK ‘soft power’. This makes it even more important that the UK steps up in other ways. By developing a world-leading CAAC Strategy to help turn the tide on impunity, the UK Government can make a difference for children and demonstrate its continued commitment to international engagement for the common good.
