Severe Humanitarian Situation for Children Globally: Unprecedented Violence, Deprivation, and Displacement – UNICEF Executive Director Calls for 'Political Decisions and Funding to Save Children's Lives'
At a UN meeting in New York on April 22, 2026, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell highlighted the record-high 41,000+ violations against children in 2024 and called for urgent political action and funding to address the catastrophic levels of violence and hunger.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 01:41
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[April 22, 2026 - New York] At the meeting "Humanitarian Dialogue – Humanitarian Priorities for Children in 2026" held today at UN Headquarters, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell delivered the following remarks.
Around the world, children are facing unprecedented and severe violence, deprivation, and displacement from their homes. In 2024 alone, the United Nations confirmed more than 41,000 grave violations against children—the highest number ever recorded. Sadly, trends in 2025 show a similar pattern, highlighting that children continue to pay the price for wars they did not start.
Parties to conflicts are increasingly disregarding international norms and the rules of war. With the emergence of new technologies, methods of warfare are changing; attacks are becoming faster, more frequent, and more lethal. This impact is particularly noticeable in densely populated areas where children live, learn, and play.
Currently, approximately 70% of child casualties in conflict zones are caused by explosive weapons. In Sudan, armed drones carrying explosives alone account for about 80% of reported child casualties so far this year.
Simultaneously, essential public services are being targeted. Schools, hospitals, power grids, and water and food supply systems are no longer just collateral damage but are becoming direct targets in the fighting. We know that children are hit especially hard when health and nutrition services are interrupted. One of the most obvious examples is the worsening hunger crisis.
Currently, about 38 million children in 26 countries are in urgent need of nutritional support, including approximately 10 million children suffering from severe wasting. Their lives are at risk.
During a visit to Somalia last month, I met mothers who had walked for days in extreme heat to reach treatment centers with children whose bodies were failing from a lack of food and water. Many families had lost crops and livestock to conflict and drought. Furthermore, soaring food and fuel prices caused by conflict in the Middle East are compounding the misery for these people.
One of the most heartbreaking sights is the rows of beds with malnourished children, watched over by anxious mothers who only wish for their children to survive. This is not essentially a problem of food shortage; it is about whether political action is being taken to resolve conflicts and ensure humanitarian access. Famine and hunger can be prevented, but only if we act early and address not just the immediate situation but the factors that cause famine.
Children are not only suffering from hunger; the mechanisms to protect them from harm, including sexual violence, are also being lost. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo last year, during the peak of violence, one child was sexually assaulted every 30 minutes.
Behind these numbers is every single child who has been sexually assaulted. One of them is Reine (pseudonym), who experienced the trauma of being raped and becoming pregnant, then being accused by her family of bringing dishonor. She told us, "What I want now is..."
Around the world, children are facing unprecedented and severe violence, deprivation, and displacement from their homes. In 2024 alone, the United Nations confirmed more than 41,000 grave violations against children—the highest number ever recorded. Sadly, trends in 2025 show a similar pattern, highlighting that children continue to pay the price for wars they did not start.
Parties to conflicts are increasingly disregarding international norms and the rules of war. With the emergence of new technologies, methods of warfare are changing; attacks are becoming faster, more frequent, and more lethal. This impact is particularly noticeable in densely populated areas where children live, learn, and play.
Currently, approximately 70% of child casualties in conflict zones are caused by explosive weapons. In Sudan, armed drones carrying explosives alone account for about 80% of reported child casualties so far this year.
Simultaneously, essential public services are being targeted. Schools, hospitals, power grids, and water and food supply systems are no longer just collateral damage but are becoming direct targets in the fighting. We know that children are hit especially hard when health and nutrition services are interrupted. One of the most obvious examples is the worsening hunger crisis.
Currently, about 38 million children in 26 countries are in urgent need of nutritional support, including approximately 10 million children suffering from severe wasting. Their lives are at risk.
During a visit to Somalia last month, I met mothers who had walked for days in extreme heat to reach treatment centers with children whose bodies were failing from a lack of food and water. Many families had lost crops and livestock to conflict and drought. Furthermore, soaring food and fuel prices caused by conflict in the Middle East are compounding the misery for these people.
One of the most heartbreaking sights is the rows of beds with malnourished children, watched over by anxious mothers who only wish for their children to survive. This is not essentially a problem of food shortage; it is about whether political action is being taken to resolve conflicts and ensure humanitarian access. Famine and hunger can be prevented, but only if we act early and address not just the immediate situation but the factors that cause famine.
Children are not only suffering from hunger; the mechanisms to protect them from harm, including sexual violence, are also being lost. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo last year, during the peak of violence, one child was sexually assaulted every 30 minutes.
Behind these numbers is every single child who has been sexually assaulted. One of them is Reine (pseudonym), who experienced the trauma of being raped and becoming pregnant, then being accused by her family of bringing dishonor. She told us, "What I want now is..."