Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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March 9, 2026 Human rights
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif warned of a rapid increase in child rights violations in conflict zones and called on states to take urgent action to protect and rehabilitate victims.
Al-Nashif addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. She said the harm war inflicts on children—physical, mental, social, and developmental—is exacerbated by grave violations of international humanitarian law. Parties to armed conflicts are increasingly using explosive weapons in densely populated areas, forcibly recruiting children, and resorting to sexual violence as a tactic of war.
The UN has recorded a sharp increase in cases of sexual violence against children: between 2021 and 2024, the number of such incidents nearly doubled. In Sudan alone, at least 223 child victims were documented in 2025. However, according to Al-Nashif, the actual figures are significantly higher.
The UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasized that child survivors of violence have the right to support and justice. Some states have already adopted laws aimed at providing assistance to victims or created reintegration programs for children previously held for their association with armed groups. Since 2000, thanks to UN efforts, more than 210,000 children and adolescents have been released from armies and armed groups.
Al-Nashif found that crimes against children committed during armed conflicts are rarely investigated, and long-term psychosocial support and reintegration programmes remain chronically underfunded.
In her speech, Al-Nashif outlined four key areas of action: conducting independent investigations into all violations; recognizing children associated with armed groups as victims and ending their arbitrary detention; allocating resources for long-term rehabilitation, education, and medical care; and engaging children in justice processes.
"Children aren't just victims. They should have a voice in shaping their own lives," she emphasized.
Concluding her speech, Al-Nashif declared that war is "the ultimate violation of children's rights": "We are abandoning children to their fate instead of helping them. We need to change this."
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