{"id":104215,"date":"2024-12-28T10:21:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-28T09:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/?p=104215"},"modified":"2024-12-28T10:21:22","modified_gmt":"2024-12-28T09:21:22","slug":"not-the-new-normal-2024-one-of-the-worst-years-in-unicefs-history-for-children-in-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/en\/politics\/not-the-new-normal-2024-one-of-the-worst-years-in-unicefs-history-for-children-in-conflict\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Not the new normal\u2019 \u2013 2024 ‘one of the worst years in UNICEF\u2019s history’ for children in conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The impact of armed conflicts on children around the world reached devastating and likely record levels in 2024, according to a review by UNICEF of the latest available data and prevailing global trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More children than ever are estimated to be either living in conflict zones or forcibly displaced due to conflict and violence. A record number of children affected by conflict are having their rights violated, including being killed and injured[1]<\/sup><\/a>, out of school, missing life-saving vaccines, and being critically malnourished. The number is only expected to grow. Conflict drives approximately 80 per cent of all humanitarian needs around the world[2]<\/sup><\/a>, disrupting access to essentials, including safe water, food and healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 473 million children\u2014more than one in six globally\u2014now live in areas affected by conflict[3]<\/sup><\/a>, with the world experiencing the highest number of conflicts since World War II[4]<\/sup><\/a>. The percentage of the world\u2019s children living in conflict zones has doubled\u2014from around 10 per cent in the 1990s to almost 19 per cent today.[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of 2023, 47.2 million children had been displaced due to conflict and violence[6]<\/sup><\/a>, with trends in 2024 indicating additional displacement due to the intensification of conflicts, including in Haiti, Lebanon, Myanmar, the State of Palestine, and Sudan. Children account for 30 per cent of the global population, yet on average account for roughly 40 per cent of refugee populations and 49 per cent of internally displaced people.[7]<\/sup><\/a> In countries affected by conflict, on average over a third of the population is poor (34.8 per cent) compared to just over 10 per cent in non-conflict-affected countries[8]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Unicef \/ inzayar-Oo | Naw Nee, a 14-year-old from the Bago region, bears the lasting scars of a tragic landmine explosion. The incident, which claimed the life of her brother, occurred when he unknowingly picked up a landmine, mistaking it for a toy, while playing just outside their home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cBy almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF\u2019s history\u2014both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,\u201d said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. \u201cA child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished, or forced from their home\u2014too often repeatedly\u2014compared 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\u2019s unchecked wars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the latest available data, from 2023, the United Nations verified a record 32,990 grave violations against 22,557 children[9]<\/sup><\/a>\u2014the highest number since Security Council-mandated monitoring began. With the overall upward trend in the number of grave violations\u2014for example, thousands of children have been killed and injured in Gaza, and in Ukraine, the UN verified more child casualties during the first 9 months of 2024 than during all of 2023[10]<\/sup><\/a>\u2014this year is likely to see another increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation for women and girls is particularly concerning, with widespread reports of rape and sexual violence in conflict settings. In Haiti, so far this year, there has been a 1,000 per cent increase in reported incidents of sexual violence against children.[11]<\/sup><\/a> In situations of armed conflict, children with disabilities also tend to be disproportionately exposed to violence and rights violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education has been severely disrupted in conflict zones. More than 52 million children in countries affected by conflict are estimated to be out of school. Children in the Gaza Strip, and a significant portion of children in Sudan, have missed out on more than a year of school, 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\u2019s education in these regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malnutrition among children in conflict zones has also risen to alarming levels, 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 conditions were determined 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 IPC* Phase 5 conditions, the most extreme food insecurity situations.[12]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conflicts are also having devastating effect on children\u2019s access to critical healthcare. Around forty per cent of un- and under-vaccinated children live in countries that are either partially or entirely affected by conflict.[13]<\/sup><\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact on children\u2019s mental health is also huge. Exposure to violence, destruction and loss of loved ones can manifest in children through reactions such as depression, nightmares and difficulty sleeping, aggressive or withdrawn behaviour, sadness and fear, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024 has become the deadliest on record for humanitarian personnel, with the recorded deaths of 281 aid workers globally, surpassing previous records.[14]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChildren in war zones face a daily struggle for survival that deprives them of a childhood,\u201d said Russell. \u201cTheir schools are bombed, homes destroyed, and families torn apart. They lose not only their safety and access to basic life-sustaining necessities, but also their chance to play, to learn, and to simply be children. The world is failing these children. As we look towards 2025, we must do more to turn the tide and save and improve the lives of children. “<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNICEF is calling for all parties to conflict, and for those with influence over them, to take decisive action to end the suffering of children, to ensure their rights are upheld, and to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/a> Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict<\/a>
[2]<\/a> The World Bank, World Bank Group Strategy for Fragility, Conflict, and Violence 2020\u20132025, World Bank, February 2020
[3]<\/a> PRIO<\/a>
[4]<\/a> Global Peace Index<\/a>
[5]<\/a> PRIO<\/a>
[6]<\/a> https:\/\/data.unicef.org\/topic\/child-migration-and-displacement\/displacement\/<\/a> 
[7]<\/a> UNHCR Global Trends Report<\/a> 
[8]<\/a> https:\/\/www.undp.org\/libya\/press-releases\/11-billion-people-live-multidimensional-poverty-nearly-half-billion-these-live-conflict-settings<\/a> 
[9]<\/a> https:\/\/childrenandarmedconflict.un.org\/2024\/06\/2023-alarming-levels-of-violence-inflicted-on-children-in-situation-of-armed-conflict<\/a> 
[10]<\/a> https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/press-releases\/unicef-executive-director-catherine-russells-remarks-united-nations-security-0<\/a>
[11]<\/a> https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/press-releases\/remarks-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-ecosoc-special-session-haiti<\/a> 
[12]<\/a> https:\/\/www.ipcinfo.org\/ipcinfo-website\/ipc-dashboard\/en\/<\/a> 
[13]<\/a> https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/immunization\/immunization-and-conflict<\/a> 
[14]<\/a> https:\/\/www.unocha.org\/news\/un-relief-chief-decries-bullets-and-bombs-against-aid-workers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source<\/h5>\r\n\n\n\n

Unicef | for every child 2024<\/a><\/p>\n

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