By Busayo Onijala
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada AlNashif, says attacks
on schools worldwide increased by 166 per cent between 2021 and 2024.
She noted that these attacks had been particularly prevalent in Sudan, Ukraine,
Gaza Strip, Myanmar, and Ethiopia.
Nada 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 held under the theme “Mainstreaming the Rights of Children in
Armed Conflict: Prevention and Protection” 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 according to her, is about 470 million.
The deputy high commissioner described devastating consequences in several
regions, including Gaza.
She said, “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 noted that 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, stressing 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 in many contexts, children were not only victims, but contribute
to peacebuilding, promote dialogue, help to build bridges and seek common
ground.
She added that children should be able to participate meaningfully in decisions and
policies that affected them, including those to protect them in times of conflict and
urged member-states, national human rights institutions, international organisations
and civil society to come 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 allowed children to
participate in shaping the measures intended to protect them.
“Protecting children is not a luxury. It is both a legal obligation and the
humanitarian moral imperative, and it is clear that we can, together do much
better,” she noted.
Also, 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 strengthening 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 in 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.
