The number of children killed in conflict soared to at
least 6,266 in 2025, up about 34% from 2024, with the
increased use of high-tech explosive weapons driving the
trend, said Save the Children [1].
The latest United
Nations Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children
and Armed Conflict showed a record 24,174 children had
their rights violated in conflict last year, the highest
number since the protection of Children
in Armed Conflict (CAAC) mandate was established 30
years ago [2]. These numbers represent the tip of the
iceberg for grave violations against children, as most
attacks on children go unverified, said Save the
Children.
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The number of children maimed in conflict
rose by nearly 10% to 7,958 in 2025, continuing a steady
trend of increasing child casualties in conflict since 2020
[3].
Many of these deaths and injuries are linked to
unmanned aerial systems, drone-enabled and remotely operated
attacks, and AI-supported target selection, all of which
pose grave new risks to children’s lives and safety in
conflict zones, said Save the Children. Once exclusive to
advanced militaries, drones are now cheap, commercially
available, and deployable by any armed actor, making them
the small arms of this era.
Notably, for the first
time since the establishment of the CAAC mandate, government
forces were the main perpetrators of grave violations
against children. Governments around the world are not
only failing to uphold their obligations under international
humanitarian law to protect children in conflict zones, they
are doing so with near-total impunity, said Save the
Children.
The highest numbers of grave violations were
verified in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel
(12,445), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (4,114) and
Nigeria (2,560).
According to the UN report, the
occupied Palestinian territory and Israel saw the sharpest
rise in violations verified in 2025, up over 45% from 2024
[2]. Of these, 9,465 violations were attributed to Israeli
armed and security forces who were responsible for the
highest number of verified violations globally in 2025. The
violations perpetrated by the Israeli armed and security
forces include 5,946 incidents of denial of humanitarian
access, 2,760 cases of maiming, and 828 attacks on schools
and hospitals.
In the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, cases of children killed or maimed in conflict more
than doubled from 438 in 2024 to 918 children in 2025 and
cases of sexual violence nearly doubled from 358 to 592
children in 2025. This reflected a deteriorating security
situation in a country battling multiple humanitarian
crises.
Inger Ashing, Save the Children International
CEO, said:
“Wars are being waged in a fundamentally
different way to 30 years ago when the CAAC mandate was
established. Around the world, Save the Children is watching
drone strikes hit the places children gather: kindergartens,
schools, hospitals, maternity wards, markets, and
displacement camps. Children’s smaller bodies, developing
organs, and lower harm thresholds mean they are
disproportionately killed and maimed by these weapons, and
the psychological toll of living under constant drone threat
compound that harm for years after the attack.
“More
damning still is the fact that for the first time in 30
years, government forces were the main perpetrators of grave
violations against children. No longer can shadowy ‘armed
groups’ be scapegoated for the killing and maiming of
children in war. It’s governments making the choices they
know will cost children their lives – with a complete
disdain and disregard for international law.
“We know
that drones and other tech-enabled weapons can be deployed
covertly, across borders, and without combatants present,
making attribution and accountability exceptionally
difficult-compounding the ongoing erosion of norms designed
to protect civilians.
“With States responsible for
much of this harm, it is for States to act and stop the
bloodshed of children. Governments must uphold the rules
that govern conflict, especially when it comes to protecting
children, who are always the most vulnerable. There is both
a legal obligation and a moral duty to speak out against
those who harm children in war. And just as importantly,
there is a responsibility to invest in the programmes that
protect them, care for them, and help them rebuild their
lives. Because ultimately, the future of millions of
children depends on the choices we make today-and on whether
we act with urgency and resolve.”
NOTES:
[1]
According to the United
Nations Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children
and Armed Conflict , killing and maiming increased from
11,967 children in the 2025 report to 14,224 in the 2026
report (+18.9%). The 2026 report singles out killing and
maiming as having surged by 34% and 10% respectively, with
harm linked to airstrikes, artillery, explosive remnants of
war and explosive-armed drones.
[2] The six grave
violations against children: the UN Security Council has
identified six grave violations against children in
situations of armed conflict: killing and maiming of
children; recruitment or use of children in armed forces and
groups; rape and other forms of sexual violence against
children; abduction of children; attacks against schools and
hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access to
children.
[3] A 9.1% increase, from 7,291 in 2024 to
7,958 in 2025.
[4] In Israel and the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, there were 12,445 verified violations
in 2025, up from 8,554 in 2024
(+45.5%).
