Children are paying an increasingly devastating price for armed conflict, experts told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, reporting the highest number of grave violations against children in 30 years.
“Machines must never decide who lives and who dies, especially children,” declared Sophie Kiladze, Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, warning that technology-assisted warfare represents one of the “most terrifying” developments in modern conflict. Artificial intelligence (AI) can accelerate targeting and enable autonomous weapons, while advances in synthetic biology could place dangerous capabilities in the hands of individuals and non-State actors. Without safeguards, such technologies could threaten “the existence of children and the whole humanity”, she warned.
Yet, properly regulated AI also offers “unprecedented opportunities” to advance children’s rights, she stressed, pointing to the Committee’s 2026 Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence and the Rights of the Child. Meanwhile, the United Nations liquidity crisis has forced the cancellation of a Committee session, delaying the review of States’ compliance with their obligations. “For children, delays have real consequences,” she warned, as postponed reviews mean delayed legislation, policies and tangible protections.
Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, reported that United Nations monitors verified 38,558 grave violations affecting 24,174 children — the highest annual figure since her mandate was established 30 years ago. “My trips to the front lines of some of these conflicts have shown me the reality behind the statistics,” she said, recalling her visits to Haiti, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
The growing use of drones and AI-assisted targeting has contributed to “a sharp increase in the scale of harm to children”, she warned. Beyond physical injuries, conflict and abuse leave profound psychological scars, she said, urging Member States to address children’s mental health in next year's resolution on the rights of the child. She also highlighted cooperation with Cameroon and Central African States to develop the first regional prevention strategy on children and armed conflict.
“Violence against children is never justifiable, and violence against children is always preventable,” stressed Najat Maalla M’jid, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children. Today, AI is creating new opportunities for sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, deepfakes and trafficking faster than regulatory frameworks can respond. “Children remain the first affected, paying a huge price, with a long-lasting and often irreversible impact on their lives,” she stated.
However, prevention is possible, she insisted, highlighting stronger international cooperation and the 55-member Pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence against Children. “No single country has all the answers,” she said, urging Governments to act “faster and at greater scale”. “Children are not a distant future to be protected tomorrow; they are the present,” she stressed, adding: “We owe every child a childhood free from fear and violence.”
Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), pointed to striking progress: annual deaths of children under five have fallen from 10 million in 2002 to less than half that figure, while access to education has expanded and child labour declined. “These gains reflect what political will, sustained investment and international cooperation can achieve,” he observed.
Yet, every fifth child lives in a conflict zone, 49 million children were forcibly displaced in 2024 and 234 million needed emergency support to access quality education. Nearly half the world’s children face at least three overlapping climate hazards. “The message is clear: progress is possible, but it is not reaching every child,” he warned.
Child marriage illustrates that failure, he continued. Around 12 million girls enter marriage in childhood each year, while some 650 million women and girls alive today were married before turning 18. Progress on its elimination would require progress to accelerate twentyfold to meet the 2030 goal, he said, urging enforcement of minimum-age laws and continued education for married, pregnant and parenting girls. Meanwhile, declining development assistance threatens essential services, he emphasized, stating: “Investing in children’s rights means investing in the systems and structures that make those rights a reality.”
‘Children Should Be Defended’ Online and Offline
In the ensuing interactive dialogue, delegates voiced concern over digital exploitation, child marriage and the growing toll of armed conflict.
Speaking for the African Union, Mali’s representative reported that “1.2 million children have had their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes”. Luxembourg’s delegate insisted that “children should be defended not only in the real world, but in the virtual world”, stressing that technology companies — not young victims — must demonstrate that their platforms are safe.
Bangladesh’s representative stressed that preventing child marriage requires community-based action alongside legislation, including addressing root causes, keeping girls in school and providing scholarships and education stipends.
‘Palestinian Children Are Not Collateral Damage’
The dialogue grew sharply contentious over the protection of children in armed conflict. Israel’s representative accused Special Representative Frazier of spreading misinformation and disregarding the truth, challenging her reporting of 12,000 violations in the Israel-Palestine conflict. “The findings in your report are meaningless,” he declared, criticizing the failure to address Hamas’ use of children as human shields and schools as military bases.
The observer for the State of Palestine countered that Palestinian children continue to suffer the highest numbers of grave violations. He said 22,000 Palestinian children had been killed over three years and accused Israeli forces of committing grave violations, including using children as human shields. “Palestinian children are not collateral damage. They are primary targets in the attempt to uproot our people from their land,” he asserted, demanding accountability.
Iran’s delegate condemned Israeli and United States attacks on his country, reporting that nearly 3,500 civilians, including 383 children, were killed in February. He also condemned a Washington, D.C., strike on an elementary school in Minab that killed 168 children, demanding accountability without double standards.
Ukraine’s representative said the United Nations has verified nearly 4,000 Ukrainian children killed or injured since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in 2022, while over 20,000 cases of forced deportation have been documented. “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues to devastate Ukrainian childhoods,” he said, calling for greater pressure to secure the children’s return.
The Russian Federation’s delegate dismissed allegations of child abductions as “a myth”, describing the information as manipulated and unverified.
Myanmar’s representative warned that military attacks on schools, hospitals and other civilian sites have intensified since the 2021 coup. Over 4.9 million children require humanitarian assistance, he said, adding: “Our children are losing their lives.”
Yemen’s representative condemned the killing and recruitment of children by Houthi terrorist militias, demanding their release, rehabilitation and reintegration. Syria’s delegate acknowledged the legacy of systematic violations under the previous regime, stressing that the country’s new authorities are pursuing reparations and accountability. The Democratic Republic of the Congo called for stronger international support to protect children threatened by armed groups and secure a “dignified future for Congolese children”.
Also addressing the Committee were Ai Kihara-Hunt, Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children; Monica Juma, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); and Albert Kwokwo Barume, Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.