Children in conflict at highest risk of violence since records began

New analysis also reveals how conflict affects girls and boys differently:

• Nine in ten child survivors of sexual violence are girls;
• Boys are more often killed or maimed, abducted or recruited by armed groups;
• Boys more likely to be killed in direct warfare, if girls are killed or badly injured it is more likely to be a result of indiscriminate explosive weapons.

Toronto, 13 Feb – Fewer children are living in conflict-affected areas, yet the severity of the crimes committed against boys and girls in war has hit a record high, according to a new report released by Save the Children.

A staggering 149 million children live in ‘high-intensity’ conflict areas–more than 10 times the number of all children in Canada. This disturbing trend is one of the findings in Save the Children’s new report, ‘Stop the War on Children 2020: Gender Matters’, the organization’s third annual report on the number of children in conflict across the globe.

The research found that some 415 million children worldwide were living in conflict-affected areas in 2018, a slight decrease from the year before. Yet the number of reported grave violations—the worst crimes committed against children—increased by 170 per cent since 2010, revealing that children in conflict are more likely to be killed or maimed, recruited, abducted, sexually abused, see their schools attacked, or have aid denied to them.

Alongside these overall numbers, this year’s report launched ahead of the Munich Security Conference, where Prime Minister Trudeau and other world leaders will gather to debate solutions to international security issues, delves into how war impacts boys and girls differently based on their gender.

The report finds that girls are far more likely to be raped, forced into child marriage or to fall victim to other forms of sexual abuse, gender-based violence and discrimination than boys—87 per cent of all verified cases of sexual violence involved girls, while 1.5 per cent were boys.

Bill Chambers, President and CEO of Save the Children, said: “It’s astonishing that children living in war zones today face an increasing risk of horrific violence – killed, maimed, forced to fight as child soldiers, raped, abducted from their families, and seeing their schools and hospitals bombed. As Canada seeks to secure a coveted seat on the UN Security Council, it is critical that the commitment to protect children in war remains a top priority.

“Girls and boys in crisis need Canada’s support now more than ever. They need protection from the escalating horrors of war, they need justice when the perpetrators of atrocities continue to walk free, and they need immediate humanitarian aid to survive, get back into school, recover and begin to rebuild their lives.”

At least 12,125 children were either killed or injured by conflict-related violence in 2018 alone, a rise of 13 per cent compared to the reported total the year before, with Afghanistan being the most dangerous country for children. The number of reported attacks on schools and hospitals also increased to 1,892, a rise of 32 per cent compared to the previous year.

The report found that boys are more at risk of violations such as killing and maiming, abduction and recruitment into armed groups and armed forces. Of all verified cases of killing and maiming, 44 per cent were boys, 17 per cent were girls. In the other cases, gender was not recorded.

Adolescent boys are far more likely to be killed by direct warfare than girls, as they are more likely to be directly targeted. When girls are killed or badly injured, it is more often the result of the use of explosive weapons which kill indiscriminately in urban or populated areas hitting homes, streets and busy marketplaces.

Amir*, 12, fled Iraq to a town in northeast Syria following an injury sustained in an airstrike, which resulted in him having his arm amputated. He is now living in a camp with his mother and siblings. Their father’s whereabouts is unknown.

“The day I got injured, I was with my cousin. All of a sudden, we were attacked by shelling. They took us to [the] hospital. The thing that has scared me most during this conflict is my injury,” said Amir*

His mother Asma* added: “Amir* was bleeding for three hours. He bled from the moment they picked him up until he got to hospital. Before the injuries, Amir* was good, there was nothing wrong with him. Now, sometimes he gets tired, cries and is in pain. But since he’s seen that the shelling has stopped around us here, he has started going to school and tells me that he’s more comfortable now.”

In its report, Save the Children states that the only way to stop the war on children is for governments and other parties to adopt and implement action plans to address the suffering of children and support their recovery in the ground. The report highlights that in order to recognize and respond to the specific needs of boys and girls, states and humanitarian actors must ensure their responses to protect children in conflict are sensitive to differences between ages and genders.

As part of its bid for the Security Council, Save the Children is pushing for Canada to champion children’s protection in conflict, building on Canada’s spearheading of the Vancouver Principles that seek to stop the use of child soldiers, and Canadian commitments to upholding the rules-based order that includes the protection of civilians in war, ensuring schools and schoolchildren are safe from attack, and girls are safe from rape and other forms of sexual violence.

*Indicates name changed

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITOR

• The UN started recording the six grave violations against children in conflict in 2005. The six grave violations are: killing and maiming, recruitment, abduction, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of aid. In 2018, the number of these violations were at its highest point ever.
• A staggering 149 million children live in ‘high-intensity’ conflict areas–more than 10 times the number of all children in Canada .See the Statistics Canada 2016 data which has 13,705,290 for population under 19 years.
• The Stop the War on Children report includes the most comprehensive collection of data on the number of children living in conflict-affected areas. It reveals that the ten worst countries for children living in conflict remain the same as 2017: Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Syria, Iraq, Mali, Nigeria and Somalia.
• For the UN Secretary-General’s 2019 report on children and armed conflict, the MRM verified 933 cases of sexual violence. Of these, 87% are violations against girls, while only 1.5% of the verified cases were violations committed against boys. Sexual violence is verified in 12 out of the 20 countries covered, with most cases occurring in Somalia and the DRC.
• The report has been informed by background reports by PRIO (Peace Research Institute Oslo) on number of children living in conflict zones, and by Proteknon, on gender and conflict.
• Syria comes out as particularly bad for children, with high numbers of grave violations against children and 99 % of children living in areas affected by conflict. Conflict is also worsening for children living in Afghanistan, Somalia and Nigeria, which respectively have the highest figures for the killing and maiming, sexual violence, and the recruitment and use of children by armed forces or armed groups.
• In 2018, slightly less children lived in conflict affected areas than the year before (415 million against 429 million in 2017. 149 million of them lived in High intensity conflict zones, which are areas where more than 1,000 battle-related deaths are recorded in a year.