The United Nations Secretary-General has issued his annual report to the Security Council regarding the toll armed conflict is taking on children around the world. The following numbers demonstrate some of the most alarming aspects of the growing threat against children in armed conflict worldwide.
-
12,000 +
The number of children killed or taken captive in armed conflict last year. Afghanistan, Yemen, Palestine, and Syria have the highest child casualty totals. This is the highest total since the UN Security Council began monitoring these numbers in 2005.
-
3,062
Child casualties in Afghanistan. These children accounted for 28% of all civilian casualties in Afghanistan in 2018.
-
1,854
Child casualties in Syria. These came about by way of airstrikes, cluster munitions, and the infamous barrel bombs.
-
59 and 2,756
The number of Palestinian children killed and injured. This is the highest number of child casualties in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict since 2014.
-
6
The number of Israeli children injured through the conflict last year.
-
2,300
Child recruits as young as 8 years old used in the conflict in Somalia. Somalia also has 1,609 reported cases of child abduction through armed conflict, and 331 reported cases of sexual violence against children.
-
1,023
Attacks on schools and hospitals in 2018. Syria led the way here with nearly 25% of all such attacks. Injured children are frequently the greatest victims in attacks on hospitals and the primary victims in attacks on schools.
-
1,248
Child prisoners in northeast Syria in areas formerly controlled by ISIS. In Iraq, that number is 902 who are suspected of ties to ISIS. Israel is holding 203 Palestinian children.
These numbers related to children in armed conflict are getting worse, not better.
- Additional Reading: UN Report – Conflict Kills and Hurts a Record 12,000 Children
- Additional Reading: Children of ISIS – Critical Issues & Trends: Humanitarian
