Massive Spike in Number of Children Abducted, Abused in Conflict Zones 

By Staff, Agencies 

The United Nations warned Monday from the massive spike in the number of children abducted and raped in conflict zones.

Newly re-elected Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' annual report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict investigates the killing, maiming and abuse of children, recruitment or abduction, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals.

"The violations of greatest exponential growth in 2020 were abduction, by a staggering 90 percent, and rape and other forms of violence which rose by 70 percent," the office of the UN special representative for children and armed conflict, Virginia Gamba, said.

The report documented violence against 19,379 children in 21 conflicts. 

More than 8,500 children were used as soldiers in various conflict zones; more than 2,650 were killed and approximately 5,800 wounded.

This comes as Human Rights Watch criticized the UN office for not including “Israel” and Saudi Arabia on the blacklist for their actions against children, although the crimes were documented in the report itself.