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With Child Rights Violations at Record High, Speakers Urge Course Correction in Day-Long Security Council Debate

Meetings Coverage
Security Council

9945th Meeting (AM & PM)

SC/16101
25 June 2025

In the wake of unprecedented violence against children in 2024, the Security Council heard today that the world is failing to protect them from the horrors of war — and that urgent action is needed to correct this course — during a day-long debate on children and armed conflict.

"The year 2024 marked a devastating new record," reported Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, as the UN verified 41,370 grave violations against children — a "staggering" 25 per cent increase from 2023. "Behind these numbers are the shattered stories, dreams and futures of 22,495 children, each of them profoundly affected by war, displacement and the collapse of protection systems that should have served as their shield," she stressed. Spotlighting the "sharp" rise in the number of children subjected to multiple grave violations — 3,137 in total — she said this is a "stark reminder of the compounded vulnerabilities children face in conflict settings".

Nearly 12,000 Children Killed or Maimed in 2024

Detailing "the six grave violations the Security Council entrusted to my office", she said that, in 2024, 11,967 children were killed or maimed — the highest number "since this mandate was established over two decades ago". Further, there were 7,402 cases of recruitment and use; 1,982 cases of sexual violence; 2,374 cases of attacks on schools and hospitals; thousands of children were forcibly abducted; and denied humanitarian access is now one of the greatest obstacles to protecting children in conflict zones. "These atrocities against children span the globe," she underscored, which demonstrates the universal, indiscriminate nature of these grave violations.

Also noting that Government forces "remained the principal perpetrators" of the killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access, she stressed: "We cannot continue to stand by and watch with no action what is happening to the children globally — and especially in Gaza." She therefore urged the international community, inter alia, to call on all parties to conflict to engage with the UN to develop, sign and fully implement action plans that end and prevent these violations. Adding that the children and armed conflict mandate has proven its value, she urged: "Let us prove that it matters — that they, our children, matter."

Explosives Leading Cause of Child Casualties

Also briefing the Council was Sheema Sen Gupta, Director of Child Protection and Migration of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), who stated that today's report "once again confirms what too many children already know — that the world is failing to protect them from the horrors of war". She highlighted two "deeply disturbing" trends. First, the increased use of explosive weapons in populated areas is now the leading cause of child casualties in many of the world's conflicts, accounting for over 70 per cent of all incidents of killing and maiming. Second is the surge in sexual violence, and she reported that verified cases of such violence against children increased by 35 per cent in 2024.

On that, she noted that nearly 10,000 cases of sexual violence were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the first two months of 2025, with children constituting over 40 per cent of those affected. Nevertheless, this agenda "remains a source of hope", with over 16,000 children receiving protection and reintegration support in 2024. Calling on all parties to conflict to stop the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, she also underlined the need to protect and expand humanitarian space. "Fund this agenda," she added, stressing: "Children are not collateral damage."

Growing Up in War

Next, Sila — a 17-year-old girl from Idlib, Syria — said that she is part of a generation of thousands of children that has lived through war and knows nothing of safety. "Rather, I know nothing but smoke, shelling, displacement and fear," she said. Stating that she came to the Council to talk about the pain that remains after war, she described a childhood in which her home was a suitcase as bombings forced her family to constantly move. "My childhood was full of fear and anxiety, and I was deprived of people I loved," she said. She added: "Imagine that you go to school, and you hear the sound of the plane over your head, and you don't know if the projectile will hit your school or your home."

War does not end when the bombing stops, she added. "The real danger remains after the war — the landmines, the unexploded shells and the life that turns into death traps," she said, pointing out that "many people lost their limbs — or even their lives — without participating in any battle". Now, she works with a humanitarian organization to raise awareness about the dangers posed by remnants of war. "It's our turn to speak and raise our voices, and to educate others," she said. She stressed: "Today, I did not come as a victim — I came as a witness." As such, she asked for the international community's support so that children can achieve their dreams and opportunities.

"It is my fervent hope that today's debate will be an opportunity not just to express outrage, but to follow through with tangible action," stressed Vindhya Vasini Persaud, Minister for Human Services and Social Security of Guyana and Council President for June, speaking in her national capacity as the floor opened. Similarly, Greece's representative, Chair of the Working Group on this agenda item, welcomed today's report as a call "not just for reflection on one of the gravest affronts to international law, but also for action". He asked those present: "Do we live up to our promises to children?"

Mandate Holder's Response Muted

Most statements suggested otherwise. Algeria's representative posed his own question: "How can we ignore the 7,188 verified grave violations attributed to Israeli forces?" Stressing that the response of the Special Representative's office to this matter has been "strikingly insufficient", he said that its statements "fall critically short of the decisive and sustained condemnation warranted by the immense scale of the crisis". He concluded: "The protection of children in conflict demands a more vigorous — a more vocal — response to the unparalleled crisis in Gaza."

The representative of the United Kingdom, for his part, pointed to the Palestinians killed trying to reach "the few aid sites permitted by Israel". "This is unacceptable," he stated, calling on Israel to abide by its obligations to protect children and to enable aid to enter Gaza at scale. China's representative also called on Israel to lift its humanitarian blockade. The representative of Sierra Leone — expressing similar concern over the "appalling humanitarian situation confronting children in Gaza" — emphasized that it is States — especially those exercising territorial control — that must ensure the protection of civilians.

The representative of the Russian Federation also emphasized States' leading role in this context, emphasizing: "This is why this theme — more than any other theme — requires intergovernmental cooperation and must, under no circumstances, be politicized." However, he said that the structures assisting the Council in this regard "have not demonstrated themselves to be paragons of impartiality", as the report continues to include "unverified figures about children in Ukraine". Further spotlighting a "continuous reduction in Russian child victims in the report", he said that it does not include figures of the children killed or maimed by Ukraine's armed forces.

Pakistan's representative, meanwhile, pointed out that it took the killing of thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza for the situation to be included in the last year's report. And while welcoming this year's removal of references to his country as a situation of concern — "a long-overdue correction" — he expressed regret that the previously documented plight of children in "the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir" was omitted without justification.

Report Offers 'Sobering Snapshot'

Nevertheless, the representative of the United States said that the report is a "sobering snapshot", which "serves as a poignant reminder of the urgency and necessity of strengthening the international community's child-protection capacity". Observing that "alarm bells should be ringing everywhere", Slovenia's representative stressed: "We need to do better." Panama's representative said that there is an "urgent need to broaden social-integration programmes with a focus on young people to rebuild their futures". The representative of France called for capacity-building to protect children in peacekeeping operations.

Offering another proposal, the representative of the Republic of Korea said that "listening to and empowering survivors must be the starting point of any survivor-centred response", for which he expressed support. To that end, Seoul has contributed $8.6 million to prevent gender-based violence and assist survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In that vein, Denmark's representative urged that all monitoring, prevention and response efforts account for the gendered impact of grave violations, as they have "distinct and profound effects on girls and boys".

Somalia's representative, however, concluded: "It is only by striving to end wars — and by investing earnestly in the prevention of new ones — that we can hope to guarantee a world where no child is left to bear the wounds of war." Similarly, Ukraine's representative said that "one simple thing" is needed to stop the Russian Federation from killing and maiming children in Ukraine — "a full, unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days as a first step towards just and lasting peace". The representative of Lebanon, too, said that children have suffered from the ravages of numerous wars that have broken out on Lebanese territory: "They pay a hefty toll for the mistakes of adults."

He, along with other Member States, also drew attention to the high number of violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. "What is happening in Gaza now is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and humanitarian values," said Saudi Arabia's representative. However, Israel's representative — pointing to "one of the most outrageous statements I have ever seen in official UN documents" — noted that the Secretary-General has called on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to develop action plans with the UN, and on Israel to sign a matching one. Adding that the report "switches the roles of victim and aggressor", he rejected the "grotesque false equivalence between a sovereign democracy and a terror regime".

Success Stories

Yet, there were positive notes. The observer for the African Union reported that the bloc has adopted a comprehensive legal and policy framework for protecting children, particularly in conflict situations. El Salvador's representative pointed to her country's "drastically" reduced homicide rates and provision of psychosocial care, education and reintegration programmes to victims of violence. The representative of the Philippines, for her part, welcomed the removal of her country as a situation of concern in the next report, which is a testament to its whole-of-Government approach and sustained, strategic collaboration with the UN. She stated: "We hope that the Philippines' story will serve as an inspiration of what we, as a global community, can do for children everywhere — to let children be children."