2024 most devastating for children in conflict zones

New Delhi: The outgoing year, 2024, will go down in history as being one of the  the worst year as regards the impact of conflict on children around the world. The devasation caused by hostilities in various parts of the globe was most severe during this period, according to a study conducted by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The right of children to health services, safety, education and very life are being violated with impunity. They are being killed, injured, denied going to school, nutrition and life-saving vaccines, according to the just released study.

Never has the world seen so many conflicts since the World War II, From Palestine to Myanmar, Haiti to Sudan, several parts of the globe are experiencing the highest number of conflicts. Almost 19 per cent of the world’s children – over 473 million – now live in conflict zones, and 47.2 million have been displaced by conflict and violence.

In Gaza, and in Ukraine, thousands of children have been killed and injured. There have been widespread reports of rape and sexual violence against women and girls in conflict settings.

There has been a 1,000 per cent increase in reported incidents of sexual violence against children in Haiti so far. In situations of armed conflict, children with disabilities also tend to be disproportionately exposed to violence and rights violations.

More than 52 million children in countries affected by conflict are estimated to be out of school.

Loss of education is another devastating impact on the life and career of children as evident from reports from Gaza strip and Sudan, according to which children in these regions have missed out on more than a year of education, while in countries such as Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Syria, schools have been damaged, destroyed or repurposed, leaving millions of children without access to learning.

The destruction of educational infrastructure and insecurity near schools have exacerbated an already dire situation for children’s education in these regions.

The level of malnutrition in conflict zone is rising to alarming elevel. els, as conflict and armed violence continue to be the primary drivers of hunger in numerous hotspots, disrupting food systems, displacing populations, and obstructing humanitarian access.

For example, in Sudan, famine was declared in North Darfur, the first famine determination since 2017. In 2024, more than half a million people in five conflict-affected countries are estimated to be living in the most extreme food insecurity situations.

Conflicts are also having devastating effect on children’s access to critical healthcare.

Around 40 per cent of unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children live in countries that are either partially or entirely affected by conflict.

These children are often the most vulnerable to disease outbreaks like measles and polio, because of disruptions and lack of access to security, nutrition, and health services.

The impact on children’s mental health is also huge; exposure to violence, destruction and the loss of loved ones can result in reactions such as depression, nightmares and difficulty sleeping, aggressive or withdrawn behaviour, sadness and fear, among others.

“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF’s history – both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“A child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished, or forced from their home – too often repeatedly – compared to a child living in places of peace. This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s unchecked wars.”

—-INDIA NEWS STREAM