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UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council that the United Nations has verified more than 430,000 grave violations against children in armed conflicts since 2005, with over 38,000 of them recorded in 2025 alone.

Russell said the real scale of the abuse is certainly far larger than the figures the world body has been able to confirm, as access to children in conflict zones grows more restricted.

Verification efforts and action plans

Russell addressed the Security Council session titled "Children and Armed Conflict," saying mechanisms have been established to monitor and verify grave violations against children worldwide. Under that framework, more than 40 action plans have been signed with parties to conflicts, and more than 220,000 children have been released and given a chance to rebuild their lives.

Russell added that conditions for children living in conflict are becoming more dangerous even though the international community has built a strong framework to protect them in war.

Verified violations and blocked aid

The UN has verified over 430,000 grave violations against children in armed conflicts since 2005, Russell said, including more than 38,000 in 2025 alone. Last year the highest numbers of grave violations were verified in the State of Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria. "These are only the violations the United Nations has been able to verify. The real scale is undoubtedly larger," she said.

Children are increasingly exposed to multiple physical and psychological violations at the same time, and the ability to reach them is shrinking just when they most need protection, Russell said. The UN has verified more than 44,000 incidents of denial of humanitarian access since 2005, over 8,000 of them in 2025, which she said means children are deprived of life-saving health services and families cannot obtain basic supplies.

Responsible parties and emerging threats

Government forces emerged last year as the main perpetrator in the killing of children, the obstruction of aid and attacks on schools and hospitals, according to Russell. She also said more than 70 percent of verified child casualties in 2025 were caused by explosive weapons.

Russell warned that the growing use of artificial intelligence in weapons raises serious concerns for the protection of children in conflict zones, and that armed drones, now widely used, pose horrific threats to children's lives.

Special envoy condemns violations

Vanessa Frazier, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, drew attention to the enormous scale of current violations against children in conflict zones and said government forces were responsible for most grave violations verified for the first time in 2025.

"This is extremely worrying. I condemn all grave violations against children in every situation and conflict, regardless of who commits them. International humanitarian law and human rights law bind all parties to an armed conflict," Frazier said.

Key takeaways

• The UN has verified more than 430,000 grave violations against children in armed conflicts since 2005, including over 38,000 in 2025.
• The highest numbers of violations last year were verified in the State of Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria.
• Over 44,000 incidents of blocked humanitarian access have been verified since 2005, with more than 8,000 in 2025.
• More than 70 percent of verified child casualties in 2025 were caused by explosive weapons.