UN says violence against children in conflict reached extreme levels in 2023

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres (Yuki Iwamura/AP, File)

Violence against children caught in multiplying and escalating conflicts reached “extreme levels” in 2023, with an unprecedented number of killings and injuries in crises, according to a new UN report.

The annual report on Children in Armed Conflict, obtained on Tuesday by The Associated Press, reported “a shocking 21% increase in grave violations” against children under the age of 18 in an array of conflicts, from Israel and the Palestinian territories to Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine, also citing Congo, Burkina Faso, Somalia and Syria.