Africa: 'Darkest Chapter' - Record Child Violations in 2025, With National Forces Leading the Way

For the first time, soldiers and Government forces were responsible for more grave violations against children in armed conflict than non-State armed groups - and 2025 set a grim new record for the total number of child victims.

The findings come in the annual UN report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) which documents six main violations: killing and maiming, recruitment and use, abduction, rape and other forms of sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access.

The report verified 38,558 grave violations committed in 2025 affecting 24,174 children, many of whom suffered multiple violations. A third of the victims were girls.

This marks the highest number of children affected since the UN established the CAAC mandate 30 years ago.

For the first time, Government forces were the main perpetrators of grave violations against children, particularly killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access.

This worrying shift occurred amid hostilities, increasing use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas, and growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in targeting processes.

"2025 was without a doubt one of the darkest chapters for child protection since monitoring began," said Vanessa Frazier, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

"When States, on whom the obligation to protect children falls, instead contribute to their suffering, it signals the deeper erosion of respect for international law."

UN News Palestinian child Mohammad Hassan sitting on a hospital bed in Gaza after his left leg was amputated by a strike. 'Surge' in killing and maiming

The situations with the highest levels of violations were the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar and Somalia.

Where possible, violations were attributed to warring parties which are listed in annexes to the report.

Killing and maiming remained the most verified violations, with 6,266 children killed and another 7,958 maimed in 2025. Moreover, these violations reached "alarming levels, with a surge of 34 percent and 10 percent respectively," the report noted.

"In many contexts, military strategies disregarded the principles of distinction and proportionality, the special protections afforded to children, and the obligation to take all feasible precautions, placing children in foreseeable and avoidable danger," it said.

Incidents of denial of humanitarian access followed at 8,322, while 6,607 children we