A new report by Save the Children has revealed that 520 million children lived in active conflict zones in 2024, the highest number on record for the third consecutive year.
The charity said one in five children globally were exposed to war last year, with 41,763 grave violations verified, marking a 30 percent increase from 2023. These violations included killings, maiming, abductions, sexual violence, and the recruitment of minors by armed groups.
Save the Children’s Chief Executive Officer, Inger Ashing, warned that the growing attacks on children reflected a deep erosion of international laws meant to protect them. The report also noted that less than two percent of global security spending went to peacebuilding efforts, while military expenditure rose nine percent to $2.7 trillion.
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Africa recorded the highest number of children living in conflict zones, surpassing the Middle East for the first time since 2007. The report said more than half of all child violations occurred in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Somalia.
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