UN Report Reveals Record Surge in Violations Against Children in Conflict Zones in 2025

A new report released by the United Nations has revealed that 2025 recorded the highest number of grave violations against children in armed conflict in the past 30 years, marking one of the darkest periods for child protection globally.

According to the annual report by the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, the United Nations verified 38,558 grave violations affecting 24,174 children during 2025, with many children suffering multiple forms of abuse and exploitation in conflict-affected regions worldwide.

For the first time since the UN began monitoring children in conflict three decades ago, government forces emerged as the leading perpetrators of serious violations against children, highlighting growing concerns over weakening respect for international humanitarian law.

The report showed that killing and maiming remained the most common violations, with 6,266 children killed and 7,958 injured, while child killings alone surged by 34 percent compared to 2024.

Other major violations included denial of humanitarian assistance, affecting more than 8,300 cases, and the recruitment and use of 6,607 children by armed groups and conflict parties.

The UN also recorded 5,129 child abductions, often linked to forced recruitment or sexual violence. Cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence continued at alarming levels, with gang rape increasingly being used as a weapon of war in conflict zones.

Additionally, landmines and explosive remnants of war continued to pose severe threats to children, while also affecting long-term social and economic development in vulnerable communities.

Vanessa Frazier described 2025 as “one of the darkest chapters for child protection since monitoring began,” warning that when governments fail to protect children and instead contribute to their suffering, it reflects a dangerous erosion of international legal norms.

The report further noted that 1,667 children were detained in 2025 over actual or alleged association with armed groups. The UN emphasized that such children should be treated primarily as victims and that rehabilitation and reintegration should be prioritized over detention.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s Children and Armed Conflict mandate, with the organization calling for urgent global action to restore humanitarian principles and strengthen protections for children caught in war zones.