By Roy Denish
UNITED NATIONS — A shocking new UN report reveals the highest number of child rights violations ever recorded, with state forces overtaking armed groups as the leading perpetrators and Israel accounting for the largest number of verified violations against children in 2025.
UN Report Reveals Record Surge In Child Rights Violations
A new United Nations report on children and armed conflict has revealed a record surge in global violations, warning that government forces have overtaken rebel factions as the primary perpetrators of violence against children.
The annual assessment, released by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, documented an unprecedented 38,558 grave violations in 2025, affecting 24,174 children worldwide.
The figures represent the highest volume of child casualties and abuses recorded since the UN established its monitoring mandate thirty years ago.
Children Killed And Maimed At Alarming Levels
According to the report, the number of children killed rose by 34 percent to 6,266, while another 7,958 children were verified as maimed.
Ground combat, airstrikes, and the use of explosive weapons in densely populated neighborhoods drove the sharp escalation in casualties.
“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.”
The UN’s ‘List Of Shame’
The UN report utilizes an attached blacklist, colloquially known as the “list of shame,” to name and pressure specific military forces and non-state armed groups.
The report identified the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Somalia as the areas with the highest volume of verified offenses.
State Forces Lead Grave Violations
The findings explicitly noted that state militaries and government security forces were responsible for the majority of grave violations.
These forces led the statistics in child deaths, injuries, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the deliberate denial of humanitarian aid access.
Israel Records Highest Number Of Violations
In the Middle East, the report attributed 9,465 grave violations to Israeli forces and 2,806 violations to Palestinian armed groups, including the armed wing of Hamas.
The report also issued a formal warning that Israeli settler groups could be added to the blacklist in the coming year if a “staggering rise” in attacks against Palestinian children continues.
UN investigators attributed 326 violations to settlers in 2025.
Humanitarian Aid Blocked In Thousands Of Cases
Beyond the killing and maiming of children, the UN verified 8,322 incidents where humanitarian access was blocked by warring parties.
The report further documented 6,607 cases of children being recruited into hostilities, 5,129 abductions, and a continuous rise in conflict-related sexual violence, including the tactical use of gang rape.
Additionally, 1,667 children remained detained globally for their alleged association with armed factions.
UN Calls For Children To Be Treated As Victims
UN officials called on the international community to bolster financial and political support for youth reintegration programs.
They emphasized that children detained or swept up by armed groups must be legally treated as victims rather than combatants.
