From Gaza to Sudan, Ukraine to Nigeria, children are starving, traumatised, and denied basic rights as conflicts intensify.
The REACH-Network, a global initiative of the Moving Minds Alliance, comprising reporters and journalists focused on improving early childhood development in humanitarian crises, has raised alarm over the worsening impact of violence on children worldwide.
At the end of its quarterly meeting recently, the network urged global leaders to stop the violence around the world, stressing that more children have become victims of avoidable crises.
“The world is witnessing unprecedented crises since World War II, and this violence must stop now,” it said.
Displaced children in danger in Nigeria, Cameroon
From Plateau to Benue, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Niger states in Nigeria, the network noted that internally displaced persons (IDP) camps are filled with children whose fate hangs in the balance due to persistent violence.
The network in a statement signed by its Global Co-chair, Mojeed Alabi, highlighted reports of snake bites in Benue camps, where many families now take refuge after gunmen sacked their villages.
“The people’s cry for help has fallen on the government’s deaf ears,” Mr Alabi stressed.
REACH-Network further lamented that in Cameroon, children in the conflict-hit English-speaking regions remain out of school, unlike their peers in other parts of the country who resumed classes in early September.
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The absence from classrooms, it says, is the result of an enforced month-long lockdown imposed by armed separatists, further deepening the education crisis in these areas.
Childhoods lost to violence, hunger
The network cited reports that children as young as two have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
With Israel blocking food aid, the network said children have been reduced to “skin and bones” and now suffer long-term health damage, while their equally malnourished mothers look on helplessly.
“As Gaza faces these harrowing conditions, other parts of the world are in deep crises too,” Mr Alabi added.
According to Mr Alabi, malnutrition among children under five has also worsened as the war drags on in Sudan.
He stated that hundreds of children have been trapped in El Fasher in the Darfur region for a year due to a tight siege and the complete absence of food.
Both the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed a third level of malnutrition and the absence of goods, which, the network warned, threatens the lives of children in the region.
“These global bodies have, therefore, called for urgent interventions to facilitate access to pharmaceutical and food aid in the city,” the statement added.
While the statement mentioned that children have been growing up traumatised without access to basic rights since the Russian invasion in Ukraine, it said, “These harrowing conditions are the same in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, and Rohingya children are growing up without enough food and education.”
Beyond the war zones
The REACH-Network emphasised that away from war zones, children continue to suffer through trafficking, child labour, early marriage and pregnancy, detention, and incarceration for petty crimes with little or no hope of rehabilitation.
“The violations of child rights around the world are not isolated incidents. This is a clear violation of the lack of child protection, with the world looking away as these unconscionable violations continue to happen on a large scale,” it declared.
Dire consequences
With global conflicts intensifying and tectonic shifts in geopolitics, more than 473 million children now live in conflict-affected areas, the network said.
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“Children are suffering from diseases, hunger, displacement, and the climate crisis. UNICEF has urged that a strong alignment between global and national priorities is urgent to protect children,” it added.
Recommendations
The REACH-Network called on governments around the world to urgently address child rights and stop the carnage in Gaza, and violations in Sudan, Ukraine, and other conflict areas where children are being used as pawns in armed struggles.
It stressed that children must be registered at birth and supported through comprehensive protection schemes and rehabilitation programmes to recover from large-scale abuse.
“Whether the crisis stems from war or climate disasters, the burden should not fall on children. Governments must take accountability for their actions, not only by providing food to war-ravaged regions, but by ensuring access to holistic services that support the full development of the child.”
Such services, the network said, should include health care, legal aid, psycho-social support, education, and safe environments that nurture healing and growth.
It also demanded the establishment and enforcement of accountability mechanisms such as international courts, human rights monitoring, and sanctions against violations of children’s rights. The network described accountability as crucial to deter future abuses.
