Children in Conflict: A Global Call to Protect the Vulnerable
We must unite to protect children in conflict, ensuring they are valued, safe, and given a chance for brighter future. Since October 2023, nearly 8,000 children have been killed in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Over 390 bodies, including women and children, have been found at Nasser and Al Shifa hospitals, showing signs of torture and executions. The blockade restricts essential services, worsening poverty and malnutrition among children. Nearly 70% of Gaza’s war dead are women and children, with 44% of victims being children and 26% women. The most affected age group is five to nine years old.
In Xinjiang, Uyghur children face forced labor, indoctrination, and family separation under Chinese government policies. Many are placed in state-run orphanages or boarding schools, cutting ties with their cultural, religious, and linguistic roots and causing severe psychological harm. They are pressured to learn Mandarin, and they have little to no Uyghur language education, eroding their identity.
Xinjiang, officially the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is a Northwestern region of China where Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking, primarily Muslim ethnic group, form a significant population.
Uyghurs detained in “re-education camps” are often forced into labor. From 2017 to 2019, at least 80,000 Uyghurs were moved under the government’s “Xinjiang Aid” program, which claims to provide jobs but appears to exploit Uyghur lives. Factories linked to brands like Nike, Apple, and Zara have been reported to use this forced labor. These actions may qualify as “crimes against humanity” under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Many Uyghurs endure indefinite detention, family separation, and heavy surveillance, including non-consensual collection of biometric data. Fear, restricted freedoms, and the loss of connection with loved ones mark life in Xinjiang.
The Ukraine-Russia conflict has claimed the lives of 1,957 children since 2022, with close to 2,000 injured. The war has disrupted education, healthcare, and protection services, causing widespread trauma and displacement. Millions of children experience loss, fear, anxiety, and psychological symptoms like panic attacks, flashbacks, and depression.
Over 7 million children have been affected by violence, family loss, displacement, and disrupted education. Tens of thousands have been forcibly transferred to Russian-occupied territories or deported to Russia and Belarus. Some are placed in Russian families, given new identities, or sent to “camps” for “patriotic education.” Efforts to return these children to Ukraine are obstructed by Russia, with fewer than 2% successfully reunited with their families.
Yemen’s civil war, ongoing since 2014, has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Thousands of children have died from malnutrition, disease, and violence, with 9.8 million in need of humanitarian assistance. Child soldiers are often forced into armed groups, and severe food insecurity affects millions of children.
The conflict has displaced 4.5 million people, over 75% of whom are women and children. Female-led households account for 26% of the displaced, with 20% of these heads of households under 18. Malnutrition is rampant, with 1.3 million pregnant or breastfeeding women requiring treatment for acute malnutrition.
An estimated 17.3 million people are food insecure, including 5 million children under five. Despite ongoing aid, conflict, economic instability, and weather challenges continue to worsen the crisis. Around 80% of Yemen’s population lives below the poverty line, with 21 million people, including 11.3 million children, requiring humanitarian aid.
Turkey faces criticism for its treatment of children living in prisons with their mothers, including over 759 children in adult facilities, 520 of whom are under six. These children endure unsafe, overcrowded, and unsanitary conditions, lacking access to adequate food, healthcare, and education.
Prison environments are ill-suited for children, with limited provisions such as toys, crayons, or safe spaces for infants. Many children share beds and meals with their mothers. Social and cultural isolation further harms their physical and mental well-being, making reintegration into society challenging.
Emotional tolls are severe, with many children experiencing breakdowns during or after prison visits. The situation highlights systemic neglect of children’s rights in these settings.
Since the Taliban’s return in 2021, Afghan children, especially girls, face restricted rights. Girls are banned from secondary education, leaving 3.7 million children out of school, 60% of whom are girls. Today marks 1,000 days since Afghan girls last attended school beyond the primary level, making Afghanistan the only country with such bans.
Economic crises have pushed many children into child labor or forced marriages. Teachers, especially women, face job losses, irregular pay, and restrictions, further destabilizing education. Child recruitment into armed groups and limited healthcare access worsen the plight of Afghan children amid severe food insecurity affecting millions.
Children face multiple threats, including recruitment into armed groups, sexual violence, and catastrophic hunger. Our message is clear: we must take concerted, collective action to turn back the tide of brutality and indifference and to ensure that children in conflict are better protected, valued, and given a chance for a brighter future.
BY AZRA OZCAN
