For a printable version of Watchlist’s January 2025 Children and Armed Conflict Monthly Update, click here.

Haiti is a situation of concern in the Secretary-General’s (SG) annual report (S/2024/384) on children and armed conflict (CAAC). In November, Special Representative of the SG for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG-CAAC), highlighted alarming trends in Haiti in recent months, reporting a more than 1,000 percent increase in verified cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence against children, particularly girls, in 2024 compared to 2023. The UN estimates that around 2.7 million people, including 1.6 million women and children, live in areas controlled by armed gangs. Armed groups have used sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, as a weapon of war, while coercing children into their ranks. Children have been forcibly recruited into these groups, with 30-50 percent of armed group members now reportedly under the age of 18. In January, the Security Council is expected to receive its regular report on the implementation of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti, pursuant to SCR 2751 (2024). The Security Council should: 

• Call on all parties to take immediate and concrete steps to end and prevent rape and other forms of sexual violence against children, ensure survivors have access to comprehensive, gender-sensitive, and age-appropriate response systems and services, and strengthen preventive measures; 
• Ensure that the MSS prioritizes and mainstreams the protection of children during all operations; supports the release and recovery of children from armed groups and their immediate handover to civilian child protection actors; provides protection to and facilitates access for child protection actors to affected children; and shares with the UN Working Group on CAAC in Haiti information on grave violations against children, as appropriate;  
• Call for the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected populations, including children;  
• Encourage the Government of Haiti to fully and consistently implement its January 2024 handover protocol, including through sufficient child protection capacities;   
• Urge donors to swiftly mobilize additional flexible funds to support the humanitarian response in Haiti, including resources for child protection.  

THE UNITED STATES IS THE SECURITY COUNCIL PENHOLDER ON HAITI. 

In the SG’s 2024 annual report on CAAC, the Israeli armed and security forces are listed in the annexes for killing and maiming children and attacks on schools and hospitals, Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and affiliated factions and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades are each listed for killing and maiming and abduction. As of November 2024, 44,382 Palestinians were reported killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of hostilities, with at least 585 attacks on healthcare facilities. On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. In November 2024, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices reported to the General Assembly that Israel’s actions in Gaza during the war exhibited characteristics consistent with genocide, highlighting mass civilian casualties, deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In December, the General Assembly adopted two resolutions calling for immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages. The Security Council should: 

• Unequivocally condemn all violations and abuses committed against civilians, in particular the unprecedented number of grave violations against children as verified by the UN; call on all parties to immediately end such abuses and violations, and call for accountability for all perpetrators, including at the domestic level and before the ICC; 
• Demand that all parties fully comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law (IHRL); and call on all parties to immediately and fully implement all relevant Security Council Resolutions, in particular, 2712 (2023), 2720 (2023), 2728 (2024), and 2735 (2024), as well as resolutions on the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel and on CAAC; 
• Call for an immediate end to all attacks on objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, as well as schools, health facilities, and protected personnel, and ensure that such actions are investigated, and the perpetrators are duly prosecuted; 
• Call for the immediate, safe, and unimpeded access of humanitarian actors for the delivery of humanitarian aid, including medical services, to children and other civilians in need, and for the facilitation of medical evacuations of critically sick and injured children with caregivers; 
• Urge the Israeli armed and security forces, Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and affiliated factions, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades to immediately cease all grave violations against children and to urgently engage with the UN to develop, sign, and implement time-bound, concrete action plans to end and prevent grave violations against children.  

THERE IS NO DESIGNATED SECURITY COUNCIL PENHOLDER ON ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY.

Four non-State armed groups and the Syrian Government Forces, including the National Defence Forces and pro-government militias are all listed in the annexes of the SG’s 2024 annual report on CAAC for various grave violations against children. Syria remained among the situations with the highest numbers of verified grave violations against children in 2023, with 1,574 grave violations. On December 8, 2024, former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was ousted following major offensive launched by a coalition of armed opposition groups, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and factions of the Syrian National Army. Members of the Security Council called for the implementation of an inclusive and Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process based on the key principles listed in resolution 2254 (2015) that is facilitated by the UN. As the situation continues to evolve, the SRSG-CAAC emphasized the importance of prioritizing children’s rights and needs during this transitional period to ensure sustainable peace and stability. The Security Council should: 

• Demand that all parties uphold their obligations under IHL and IHRL, and call for all perpetrators of grave violations to be held accountable; 
• Reiterate that all children formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups should be treated primarily as victims, including those allegedly associated with armed groups designated as terrorist by the UN and those who may have committed crimes; their reintegration should be prioritized, and detention should only be used as a last resort and for the shortest appropriate time;  
• Call for the protection, rights, well-being, and empowerment of children to be fully incorporated and prioritized in efforts to build inclusive, sustainable peace, and encourage and facilitate the inclusion of children’s views in these processes, where possible and compatible with their best interests, pursuant to SCR 2427 (2018) and drawing on the Practical Guidance for Mediators; 
• Urge Member States to facilitate the return of their nationals, including children of their nationals, held for their or their family members’ real or perceived association with ISIL, and undertake individual, rights-based needs assessments, consistent with the principle of non-refoulement; provide reintegration and recovery support in line with international law and standards, prioritizing the child’s best interests; and prevent children from becoming stateless. 

SWITZERLAND IS THE SECURITY COUNCIL PENHOLDER ON HUMANITARIAN ISSUES IN SYRIA. 

The Working Group has received the following reports of the SG on children and armed conflict and conclusions remain pending: Myanmar (S/2020/1243), Syria (S/2023/805), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (S/2024/705). For targeted recommendations, see Watchlist’s Monthly CAAC updates from February 2021, December 2023, and December 2024, respectively.