Washington, DC., 5 August 2025 ——
Across the globe, millions of children are living in conflict zones where violence, displacement, hunger, and trauma have become a daily reality. Amid the sound of gunfire and the chaos of destruction, children bear a disproportionate share of the suffering. Their suffering isn’t just physical; it’s psychological, social, and generational. From Gaza and Sudan to Myanmar, across parts of Africa, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, children are not just collateral damage – they are being targeted, traumatized, and torn from their future. Children are the silent victims of conflict
A Generation at Risk
Children do not start wars, nor do they choose sides, yet they are frequently its most enduring victims. Behind every statistic is a story – a young life interrupted, a future stolen, a voice silenced. In any discussion about conflict, their suffering must never be an afterthought. It must be the moral compass guiding our response.
The experiences of children in conflict may differ in geography and politics, but the outcomes are tragically similar: lost childhoods, broken communities, and a generational cycle of trauma and instability. Humanitarian agencies continue to call for adherence to international laws protecting children in armed conflict, but violations persist with impunity. Until global leaders prioritize the protection of young lives over military objectives, the world risks raising generations shaped by fear, violence, and grief – when what they truly need is peace, protection, and a chance to heal.
Physical Dangers: Casualties, Displacement, and Malnutrition
Children are frequently among the first to suffer in armed conflict. They are killed or maimed in airstrikes, crossfire, or bombings. In places like Yemen or the Democratic Republic of Congo, many are victims of indiscriminate violence. Those who survive often suffer from severe injuries without access to adequate medical care.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s children have endured bombings, occupation, and mass displacement. Thousands have been killed or wounded, and schools across the country have been destroyed or repurposed for military use. Millions have been uprooted, with many separated from family or trafficked across borders. While international aid flows into Ukraine, the long-term mental health and educational needs of its youngest citizens remain daunting.
Displacement compounds this suffering. According to UNICEF, over 40 million children globally are displaced due to conflict and violence. Refugee camps, if they exist, are often overcrowded and under-resourced. Clean water, food, and medicine are scarce, and children are especially vulnerable to malnutrition and disease.
Psychological Trauma
A child who grows up surrounded by fear and instability is more vulnerable to long-term suffering. The sound of explosions, the sight of death, and the constant fear for their lives create lasting trauma. Even if a child survives a conflict physically unscathed, the psychological scars run deep.
In Gaza, children live through repeated cycles of violence that leave deep psychological scars. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, schools turned into shelters, and basic services like healthcare, food, and water have collapsed. With each flare-up of conflict, children are killed or maimed, many before they even understand the reasons behind the war. According to international agencies, more than half of Gaza’s population is under 18, making the long-term impacts of war a crisis not just for today, but for generations to come.
Children in conflict are at increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. For children coping with trauma, there are few places to turn. Mental health resources are severely limited. Some NGOs offer psychosocial support, but the scale of need far exceeds the available services.
With restricted or no access to counseling or emotional support, these problems often go untreated, undermining a child’s ability to grow, learn, and thrive. Without sustained support, these effects can follow them into adulthood, impacting their ability to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.
The Collapse of Education
In war, education is often the first casualty and hope, the last to return. Conflict disrupts education in profound ways. Schools are destroyed or repurposed for military use. Teachers flee. Families, fearing for their children’s safety, keep them home. The longer a conflict persists, the more permanent the educational void becomes.
Afghanistan’s children face a double crisis: the remnants of decades of war and the ongoing humanitarian collapse under Taliban rule. Access to education, especially for girls, has been drastically curtailed. Many children now face forced labor, early marriage, and hunger. Healthcare systems have crumbled, leaving young lives at the mercy of treatable diseases and malnutrition. The lack of opportunity and ongoing insecurity leave Afghan children with few paths out of poverty and trauma.
The loss of education is not just about reading or math – it robs children of a safe space, a routine, and a future. Girls are particularly vulnerable, often being pulled into early marriage or subjected to gender-based violence in times of crisis.
Recruitment, Exploitation, and Abuse
The exploitation of children in armed conflict is a grave violation of international law, yet it remains a widespread practice. Armed groups recruit – or abduct – children to serve as soldiers, porters, spies, or human shields. In some regions, girls are forcibly taken as child brides or subjected to sexual violence. These children are robbed not only of their safety but also of their innocence and future.
In Myanmar, children have not been spared from the violent crackdown following the 2021 military coup. Military raids on villages, aerial bombings, and arbitrary detentions have disrupted schooling and forced many into hiding. Some have been used as human shields or subjected to torture.
In parts of Africa—from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Central African Republic and the Sahel region—conflict and instability persist largely out of the spotlight. Armed groups exploit porous borders and weak governance, forcibly recruiting children, attacking schools, and destroying basic infrastructure. In regions like northern Nigeria, Boko Haram continues to abduct schoolchildren, while food insecurity, compounded by climate change, turns displacement into a long-term reality for millions.
International Responsibility
Protecting children in conflict requires urgent, coordinated global action. Governments, international organizations, and civil society must enforce international laws that protect children in conflict. Increased humanitarian aid should include a focus on child protection and trauma recovery. Even in emergency settings, education systems need rebuilding and support available from the international community. Through monitoring and sanctions, there needs to be accountability for warring parties that recruit and use children in conflict. Most importantly, there must be a political will to end conflicts. Without peace, the suffering of children continues unabated.
Photo Credit: EU humanitarian aid in Armenia by EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid. Licensed under CC BY NC ND 2.0.
Lara Kajs is the founder and executive director of The Genocide Report, an NGO nonprofit organization in Washington, DC. She is the author of Beyond the Veil: Afghan Women and Girls’ Journey to Freedom (forthcoming), Assad’s Syria, and Stories from Yemen: A Diary from the Field, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and independent bookstores worldwide. Distributed by Ingram. Ms. Kajs frequently speaks about atrocity crimes, forced displacement, state terrorism, and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Follow and connect with Lara Kajs on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.