Violence against children during armed conflicts reached “extreme levels” in 2023, a year that recorded a “shocking” increase in serious violations, despite insufficient data for the Gaza Strip, according to the Secretary-General’s annual report of the UN Antonio Guterres, the content of which came to the knowledge of the French Agency yesterday Tuesday.

“In 2023, violence involving child victims in the context of armed conflict reached extreme levels”: a “shocking 21% increase in serious violations” was recorded, says the text, which is due to be officially released on Thursday.

It speaks of 30,705 confirmed breaches committed last year.

Secretary-General Guterres’ annual report refers to violations of the rights of children (under 18) in about 20 war zones internationally and includes annexes with the violations — killings and mutilations of children, forced recruitment, abductions, cases of sexual violence…

In 2023, children “were the first to be affected by the proliferation and escalation of crises”, marked by “absolute disregard for children’s rights”, above all “the right to life”, the report underlines.

The text specifically points out that the war in Israel and the Palestinian territories has led to violations of children’s rights of “unprecedented scope and intensity” (+155%).

In this context, the Israeli army, as well as Hamas, were added to the “list of shame” included in an appendix to the report. The information that this was decided leaked already last week.

The situation is also dire in Sudan, with an “unbelievable” increase (+480%) in the number of serious violations of children’s rights. The Secretary General thus decided to add the Sudanese army and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who were involved in a war in April 2023, to the “list of shame”.