In an exclusive interview with UN News ahead of the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Vanessa Frazier said prevention and protection cannot be separated. She stressed that global trends point to a worsening crisis for children caught in war.
Frazier said the recruitment and use of children remains one of the most devastating and persistent violations. In 2024 alone, more than 7 400 children were recruited or used by armed forces and armed groups, based only on verified cases. Over the past 30 years, she said, more than 220 000 children have been separated from armed actors through UN‑supported processes.
Her office currently monitors around 26 conflict situations worldwide, and the data reveals severe patterns of abuse. Frazier said violations are most prevalent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and Myanmar. She also highlighted emerging concerns in Sudan, where children are reportedly being targeted because armed actors view them as useful for roles such as border guards, labourers and even fighters.
Behind the statistics, she said, are individual young lives whose childhoods have been violently interrupted. Each figure in the UN’s annual reports represents a child with a future that has been permanently altered by conflict.
Beyond monitoring, her mandate also focuses on negotiating with armed groups to secure the release of children. Frazier said the ability to engage directly with combatants is one of the strengths of the mandate, enabling the UN to broker the handover of children in dangerous situations. Once released, the UN Children’s Fund and its partner organisations provide reintegration support, including psychosocial services, education access and programmes aimed at helping children rebuild a sense of normality.
Reintegration, however, remains one of the most complex challenges. Girls, in particular, often face severe stigma upon return, especially those who come back with babies. In some communities, returning girls are viewed as “damaged” or no longer acceptable, making full reintegration extremely difficult. Frazier said overcoming societal prejudice requires sustained community engagement and long term support structures.
She added that child protection must remain central in peace processes and humanitarian planning. Without prioritising children’s rights, she said, conflicts risk creating generations whose lives are shaped entirely by trauma, exploitation and loss.
Frazier stressed that prevention is the ultimate objective. Stopping recruitment and other violations before they occur, she said, is the only way to protect children at scale. That requires addressing root causes, strengthening legal frameworks, ensuring accountability for perpetrators and providing meaningful pathways for children to thrive outside armed groups.
As global conflicts intensify, the UN envoy warned that the international community must stop viewing the issue as a distant crisis. The rise in violations, she said, is a direct consequence of the growing number of conflicts and the expanding disregard for international humanitarian law.
Frazier concluded by saying that while progress has been made over three decades, much more must be done. She called for greater political will, stronger international support and deeper national commitment from governments and armed actors alike.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
