June 18, 2026 | Burma Independent Voice
State militaries and government forces have emerged as the primary perpetrators of rights violations against children in conflict zones globally, surpassing illegal armed groups to reach an unprecedented historic high in 2025, according to a newly released United Nations report.
The United Nations verified a staggering total of 38,558 grave violations and abuses against children in armed conflicts over the past year. Among these, the killing and maiming of children constituted the highest number of documented cases.
This marks the first time since the UN began monitoring child rights violations nearly 30 years ago that abuses committed by state military forces have outnumbered those carried out by non-state armed actors. “ Without a doubt, 2025 has been the darkest chapter for child protection in the history of our monitoring framework,” said Vanessa Frazier, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC).
According to the report, Israel and the Palestinian territories experienced the most severe crisis globally, recording a total of 12,445 violations—the highest worldwide. Out of these, 9,465 infractions were verified as being committed by Israeli armed forces. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) ranked second with 4,114 total violations, followed by Nigeria with 2,560, and Myanmar with 2,203, placing Myanmar fourth on the list of the world’s worst-affected nations.
In Ukraine, the UN verified 1,899 grave violations during the past year, which included the deaths of 94 children and injuries to 753 others resulting from attacks by Russian armed forces. Consequently, both the Israeli and Russian militaries remain designated on the UN’s blacklist of shame for perpetrators of these violations.
A notable feature of this year’s report is its emphasis on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into weapon systems, which has been identified as a key driver behind the skyrocketing toll on children. Drone strikes and remote warfare operations conducted with limited human oversight have directly resulted in massive child casualties.
“ The very states and governments bound by duty to protect children are instead compounding their suffering. This reflects a catastrophic erosion of respect for international law,” Vanessa Frazier warned.
The total volume of child rights violations recorded this year stands as the highest in three decades, with young girls accounting for one-third of all fatalities. Compared to 2024, the killing of children spiked by 34 percent, while child maiming rose by 10 percent.
The report concluded by noting that other verified grave violations included the recruitment and use of child soldiers, abductions, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.
