United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, says attacks on schools worldwide increased by 166 per cent between 2021 and 2024.
She noted that the attacks had been particularly prevalent in Sudan, Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Myanmar and Ethiopia.
Al-Nashif gave the figure on Monday during the annual meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the rights of the child, where she called for increased protection for children in conflicts.
The meeting was held under the theme, “Mainstreaming the Rights of Children in Armed Conflict: Prevention and Protection.”
She noted that in the past few weeks, the council had heard harrowing accounts of some of the gravest violations occurring in more than 60 armed conflicts around the world.
According to her, children are far too often among the primary victims, paying a terrible and unacceptable price.
She added that in 2024, armed conflict directly affected nearly one in six children globally, which she said was about 470 million.
The deputy high commissioner described devastating consequences in several regions, including Gaza.
“This is where the territory now has the world’s highest number of amputee children per capita, warning that the impact of war extends beyond immediate violence.
“Years of lost education, trauma and lasting mental scars shape societies for generations to come. Long after the fighting subsides, children will continue to face deadly risks in their daily lives.
“In Lebanon, in less than a week, according to government figures, more than 450,000 people have been registered as displaced, and at least 394 have been killed, including 83 children.
“The country was still reeling from the 2024 conflict with Israel, which left communities shattered and infrastructure in ruins,” she said.
She said forced displacement also affected children disproportionately, stressing that in many contexts they were more likely to die from disease linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence.
Al-Nashif cited the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a cholera outbreak killed 340 children in 2025, noting that the devastating legacy must be acknowledged and reversed urgently.
She stressed that children’s rights were comprehensively protected under international human rights law, humanitarian law and international criminal law.
“States have a clear obligation to protect all children under their jurisdiction without discrimination based on age, gender, disability or other status.
“When these obligations are not met, international law requires prompt and independent investigations, accountability for violations and reparations for victims,” she said.
She, however, said that in many contexts children were not only victims but also contributed to peacebuilding, promoted dialogue, helped to build bridges and sought common ground.
She added that children should be able to participate meaningfully in decisions and policies that affect them, including those intended to protect them in times of conflict.
She urged member states, national human rights institutions, international organisations and civil society to work together to halt the erosion of the laws designed to reduce the risks faced by children.
Al-Nashif also called on states to establish mechanisms that allow children to participate in shaping measures intended to protect them.
“Protecting children is not a luxury. It is both a legal obligation and a humanitarian moral imperative, and it is clear that we can, together, do much better,” she noted.
Also speaking, Ms Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, said violence against children in armed conflict continued in 2025 at extreme levels.
According to her, mainstreaming the children and armed conflict agenda across peace and security, humanitarian, human rights and development pillars is a pathway to prevention and protection.
She, however, noted that mainstreaming could not occur in silos but required ongoing cooperation and strengthened coordination among all actors engaged in these pillars.
“It is crucial to ensure the mainstreaming of children and armed conflict in peace and security efforts at all stages of the conflict cycle.
“These include conflict prevention, early warning, mediation, response, and post-conflict reconstruction and development.
“Child participation in peace and security processes can contribute to the sustainability of peace efforts if done safely and inclusively.
“My office is committed to elevating the voices of children, including through our global campaign, ‘Prove It Matters’,” Frazier said. (NAN)
