Grave Violations
*The information below is based on the Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (A/76/871-S/2022/493) issued on 11 July 2022. Violations that occurred in previous years but were verified in 2021 have been included in the totals above.
Developments & Concerns
Progress
- Commitment by the Government of Chad to the protection of children, including efforts to comply with its action plan on child recruitment and use, which was completed in 2014, and regular training for its armed forces.
- Efforts of the Government of the Niger to enhance the protection of children, and the fact that children released from armed groups transiting through the anti-terrorist cell in Diffa were increasingly handed over to civilian child protection actors.
- Authorities in the Diffa Region established a reintegration programme, including for children separated from armed groups.
Challenges
- Scale of grave violations perpetrated by Boko Haram-affiliated and splinter groups in the Lake Chad basin region remains a serious concern, notably the abduction, killing and maiming of and the recruitment and use of children
Recommendations
To The Government:
- To pursue accountability for violations against children, including sexual violence.
- To the Governments of Chad and the Niger: continue to implement their respective handover protocols for children formerly associated with armed groups to civilian child protection actors.
To All Parties:
- To end and prevent all grave violations and immediately release all children.
Recent posts
- Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict: Remarks by USG CAAC Frazier
- A Year of Unthinkable Suffering: Record Number of Children in Conflict Victims of Grave Violations in 2025, With Government Forces as the Leading Perpetrator for the First Time
- Joint Statement of the AU Special Envoy on Children Affected by Armed Conflict and the UN Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict on the Day of the African Child
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Concludes First Visit to Haiti
- SRSG CAAC Frazier’s Remarks to the UN Security Council 10143rd meeting on Syria






