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Students at a school for Girls in the Wihdat Camp for Palestine refugees in Amman, Jordan.
Students at a school for Girls in the Wihdat Camp for Palestine refugees in Amman, Jordan.
Photo:UN/Mark Garten

No child should risk death to learn: Attacks on schools surge by 44%

In 2025, six years after the first observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, violence against education continues to escalate. Between 2022 and 2023, there were around 6,000 attacks targeting students, educators, and educational institutions. The use of schools for military purposes rose by 20%, and over 10,000 students were killed, abducted, arrested, or harmed.

Attacks on education in conflict zones have reached alarming levels. Over the past year, there was a 44% increase in attacks on schools, leading to the death, abduction, and trauma of thousands of students and teachers. These violations threaten not only individual lives but the future of entire communities.

The UN continues to advocate for safe access to education, urging countries to invest in resilient education systems and fully implement the .

To mark the day, UNESCO and partners will host a high-level event in Geneva under the theme “Challenging Narratives, Reshaping Action.”

Education Under Fire: Attacks Keep Rising

The UN Secretary-General's on Children and Armed Conflict for the year 2024 presents a harrowing account of the violence endured by children in conflict zones. The report verifies a staggering 41,370 incidents, the highest number of grave violations against children in armed conflict since the inception of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate almost 30 years ago.

Countries with the highest levels of violations in 2024 were Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, notably the Gaza Strip, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti.

Most grave violations showed an increase in 2024, including attacks on schools (44%), and rape and other forms of sexual violence (34 %). In addition, the number of children victims of multiple grave violations increased by 17%?through the convergence of abduction, recruitment, and use, and sexual violence, representing an alarming escalation in brutality.

Turning residential areas into battlegrounds

Children in conflict zones face devastating consequences, as urban warfare has turned homes into battlegrounds. The presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance continues to endanger entire communities, with children being especially vulnerable. These weapons alone are responsible for about 25% of child casualties in armed conflicts.

In addition, over 3,000 children were detained due to their real or alleged involvement with armed groups, marking an increase from the previous year. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, emphasizes that these children should be seen primarily as victims and urges authorities to seek alternatives to detention.

At the same time, she warns that children caught in hostilities are being robbed of their childhood, as governments and armed groups continue to violate international laws that protect minors.

Protecting children in conflict: Progress amid persistent challenges

While 2024 marked the 35th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 2025 commemorates 25 years of —the protocol banning the recruitment of children under 18 into armed forces—and 20 years of , which created mechanisms to monitor and report on violations against children in conflict.

Despite worsening conditions in countries like Lebanon, Mozambique, and Haiti, where grave violations surged, nearly 16,500 children formerly associated with armed groups received protection or reintegration support in 2024, an increase from the previous year. Since 2005, over 200,000 children have been released from conflict parties.

Progress was also made through around 40 new commitments by conflict parties, including action plans, training initiatives, and bilateral dialogues—such as the agreement signed with the Syrian National Army in June 2024.

Positive developments were also seen in Iraq, Pakistan, and the Philippines, where preventive measures led to their upcoming removal from the Children and Armed Conflict agenda.

Background

The day was established by a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly, calling on UNESCO and UNICEF to raise awareness of the plight of millions of children living in countries affected by conflict. The resolution proclaiming the Day was presented by the State of Qatar and co-sponsored by 62 countries.

The General Assembly resolution affirms that governments have the primary responsibility to provide protection and ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels to all learners, especially those in vulnerable situations. It further emphasizes the need to intensify efforts and increase funding to promote safe and protective school environments in humanitarian emergencies by taking all feasible measures to protect schools, learners and educational personnel from attack, refrain from actions that impede children’s access to education, and facilitate access to education in situations of armed conflict.

UNESCO and UNICEF will facilitate the annual observance of the Day in close collaboration with partners within and outside the UN system. Working on the frontlines in conflict-affected countries, the UN entities have long assisted Member States in strengthening their capacity to provide access to quality educational opportunities for all in times of crisis.

Did you know?

  • In 2024, grave violations increased, including attacks on schools (44%) and rape (34%). There was a 17% increase in children as victims of severe violations, including abduction, recruitment/sexual violence.
  • The highest numbers of grave violations were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (8,554), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (4,043), Somalia (2,568), Nigeria (2,436) and Haiti (2,269).
  • While non-State armed groups were responsible for almost 50 per cent of grave violations, government forces were the main perpetrator of the killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.
  • The sharp rise in the number of children subjected to multiple violations from 2,684 in 2023 to 3,137 in 2024, through the convergence of abduction, recruitment and sexual violence, represented an alarming escalation in brutality.
  • The number of cases of sexual violence increased by 35 per cent, including a dramatic increase in the number of cases of gang rape.
  • The denial of humanitarian access has reached an alarming scale, with more humanitarian workers, including United Nations personnel, killed in 2024 than ever before.

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Resources

The  was opened for state endorsement in Oslo, Norway, in May 2015. It is a political commitment to better protect students, teachers, schools and universities during armed conflict, to support the continuation of education during war, and to put in place concrete measures to deter the military use of schools. By endorsing the Declaration, States commit to restoring access to safe education and to developing education systems that are conflict-sensitive and promote respect between social or ethnic groups. 

The serves as the leading UN advocate for the protection and well-being of children affected by armed conflict. Attacks against schools are one of '' that warrant listing governments or armed groups in the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict presented to the Security Council. Others are killing and maiming of children; recruitment or use of children as soldiers; sexual violence against children; abduction of children; and denial of humanitarian access.

 

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International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.