No Safe Place for Children: War and Violence Ravage Children’s Dreams
Millions of children are facing unimaginable horrors in war-torn regions across the globe, with new reports highlighting the devastating impact of conflict in Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as Afghanistan.
Save the Children paints a grim picture in Gaza, where Israel’s assault has left more than 20,000 Palestinian children unaccounted for. Many are believed to be trapped under rubble, detained, buried in unmarked graves, or separated from their families. The charity emphasizes the psychological toll, with families enduring the unbearable uncertainty of their children’s fate.
The International Nonviolence Organization (FreeMuslim) has expressed its deep concern about the loss of Palestinian children as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, calling on the United Nations international body to conduct an urgent investigation to reveal the fate of these missing children.
The organization explained that there are serious concerns about the possibility of the Israeli army kidnapping these children, in light of the multiple reports of serious human rights violations committed by the army against defenseless civilians since the start of military operations in Gaza.
The head of the main UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, issued a stark warning on Monday that it “will crumble” unless funding is found quickly, with an “entire generation” of children at risk of being condemned to “poverty…hatred, resentment and future conflict”.
Turning to Sudan, UNICEF warns of a looming catastrophe. The country now holds the unfortunate distinction of having the world’s highest number of displaced children – a staggering five million. Brutal civil war has disrupted food production and delivery, pushing millions to the brink of starvation. UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East, Jeremy Stoner, emphasizes the urgency, stating, “We need to act now or it’s just going to get worse.”
The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo is equally dire. UNICEF describes the war-torn region as one of the worst places in the world for a child. Armed groups are inflicting horrific violence, with children being abducted, maimed, and used as soldiers. UNICEF estimates that over 1,600 children were recruited by armed groups in 2023 alone. The report concludes with a chilling statement: “As the world looks away, we are failing the children of DRC.”
The U.S. Department of State’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report highlights severe issues in Afghanistan, noting “a pattern of employing or recruiting child soldiers and sexual slavery by the Taliban.”
On this day of Ghadir, we turn to Allah Almighty and earnestly ask for the hastening in the reappearance and delivery of the awaited saviour of the world.
