UN report: State forces responsible for most child rights violations in wars in 2025

The United Nations released its first report in 30 years showing that state armed forces were accountable for the majority of verified child rights violations in armed conflicts during 2025. A total of 38,558 serious violations involving children were confirmed, most of which were killings and mutilations, marking a 34 % increase from 2024.

The highest number of violations occurred in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, with 12,445 cases; Israeli forces were linked to 9,465 of them. Other conflict zones with significant counts included the Democratic Republic of Congo (4,114), Nigeria (2,560), Myanmar (2,203), Somalia (2,195) and Ukraine (1,899), the latter comprising 94 child deaths and 753 injuries attributed to Russian forces. The report also highlighted that the integration of artificial‑intelligence‑driven weapon systems has contributed to the rise in child casualties, often operating with limited human supervision.

“2025 was undeniably one of the darkest years for the protection of children since monitoring began,” said Vanessa Frezier, UN special rapporteur on children and armed conflict.