Sharp rise in children killed in conflicts

More than 10,000 children were killed or maimed in armed conflicts last year, the United Nations reported yesterday in an annual survey that was closely examined because it names and shames countries that fail to protect children.

The suffering occurred across the world.

In Yemen, a coalition backed by the United States and led by Saudi Arabia was responsible for more than 1300 child deaths or injuries recorded in 2017. The Saudis quickly disputed that conclusion.

In Syria, where a civil war has been raging, more human rights abuses against children were recorded than ever before.

The number of children recruited for armed violence quadrupled in the Central African Republic and doubled in the Democratic Republic of Congo, compared with 2016.

‘‘When your own house or your school can be attacked without qualms, when traditional safe havens become targets, how can boys and girls escape the brutality of war?’’ Virginia Gamba, the UN secretary-general’s special representative for children and armed conflict, asked in a statement.

‘‘This shows a blatant disregard for international law by par- ties to conflict, making civilians, especially children, increasingly vulnerable to violence, use and abuse.’’

Her office confirmed more than 900 cases of rape and sexual violence, but the actual number could be higher.

She deplored the abuses. ‘‘It is the use of human beings as toys, as weapons, as terror, to confuse society, and to divide those children from even the remotest possibility of ever being an active part of society,’’ she said.

The report includes a list that monitors use to ‘‘name and shame’’ countries that have failed to protect children. The list is meant to coerce these countries into improving.

This year’s report named 59 non-state actors and 10 state actors in 14 countries, including the armed forces led by the Syrian government, the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Islamic State in Iraq. The countries were Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

The list has at times led to intense political jockeying. Two years ago, the UN included Saudi Arabia on the list. The country forcefully protested, and the secretary-general at the time, Ban Ki-moon, removed Saudi Arabia pending review. – NY Times