Children from West and Central Africa are the most likely to be recruited by armed groups and the most likely to be sexually abused, according to a UNICEF research issued Tuesday.
The research claims that since 2016, over 21,000 minors have been recruited by government troops and armed organisations and that almost 2,200 children have been sexually abused in the area.
It also says almost 3,500 children have been kidnapped within the period, making it the world’s second-highest abduction zone.
“The numbers and trends are extremely worrying for current and future generations of children,” said Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF’s regional director for West and Central Africa, speaking to The Associated Press.
The pandemic has exacerbated the situation in nations like Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, where violence has ravaged children and communities.
Conflict and the virus have increased the number of children in need of humanitarian aid from last year’s 57 million.
Since 2005, when the UN developed a mechanism to monitor and report major crimes against children, one in four violations has occurred in West and Central Africa.
The UN is urging all parties to the conflict to prevent and eliminate child abuse, as well as hold abusers responsible. It encourages assistance organisations to keep track of violations and try to avoid and respond to them.
