One in five children grows up in conflict zones – A sad record high
Last year, 520 million children lived in areas affected by violent conflict, mainly in Africa. Tens of thousands were victims of serious crimes. The organization Save the Children is calling on politicians to take action. According to a report, one in five children worldwide lived in a conflict zone last year. According to an analysis by the aid organization Save the Children, the number rose by 47 million since the previous year to around 520 million – the highest level since the first evaluation in 2005. The report also points out that the UN documented 41,763 crimes against children in conflicts last year. This represents an increase of 30 percent over the previous year. This is only the tip of the iceberg, said Florian Westphal, CEO of Save the Children Germany. The number of unreported cases is extremely high. The crimes ranged from abductions, injuries, sexual violence, and forced recruitment to killings.
November 4, 2025
Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash
