More than 2,400 grave violations against children have been recorded in Burkina Faso between July 2022 and June 2024, according to a new United Nations report, highlighting the devastating impact of the country’s worsening armed conflict on its youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
The report, released this week by the United Nations, documents 2,483 grave violations affecting 2,255 children, some of whom suffered multiple abuses.
The data underscores the dire situation facing children caught in the crossfire of a deteriorating humanitarian crisis driven by relentless violence.
“Deadly armed attacks against civilians have intensified and severely worsened the humanitarian situation,” the UN states, adding that more than two million people are now internally displaced — the majority of them children.
Currently, 6.3 million people, including 3.4 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance in areas such as nutrition, healthcare, protection, and education.
The crisis has particularly crippled the education and health sectors.
“The ongoing deterioration of security has severely affected children’s access to education, with over 800,000 children impacted by school closures,” warned Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.
Most of the grave violations are attributed to armed groups.
Murders and mutilations rank highest among the atrocities, followed by abductions and the recruitment of children.
The report cites 1,386 children — some as young as eight months old — who were killed or maimed, many by explosive devices.
The UN also confirmed the abduction of 592 children, mostly girls, and the recruitment of 257 children, predominantly boys, into armed groups.
Humanitarian access remains severely restricted in several regions, including Centre-North, the Sahel, and Boucle du Mouhoun.
Sexual violence against children, though widely underreported, remains a grave concern.
“Twenty girls were raped, including one who died following a gang rape,” the report reveals.
Many of these assaults occurred during abductions or while girls were collecting water or firewood.
Despite the bleak figures, some progress has been made.
The transitional government has endorsed a transfer protocol with the UN to ensure that children formerly associated with armed groups are handed over to civilian child protection services.
So far, 397 children have received reintegration support under this programme.
In addition, more than 700 security personnel have received training on human rights, with a specific focus on child protection.
Virginia Gamba called for the “full implementation” of existing commitments and urged the Burkinabè government to ensure accountability, access to justice, and reparations for victims.
She also appealed to international donors to fund child reintegration programmes critical to rebuilding young lives shattered by conflict.
Source: apanews
