In the past decade, more than 2 million children have been killed due to war. Three times as many have been seriously injured or disabled. Millions of others have been forced to take part in or witness horrifying acts of violence. Increasingly, children are targets, not incidental casualties, a devastating carnage that reflects a wider trend in recent decades Ð a rise in the proportion of war victims who are civilians from 5 per cent to over 90 per cent.

Approximately 1 million children have been orphaned by war in the past decade. An additional 4 million have been subjected to physical mutilation.

About 110 million landmines lie waiting for children, whose natural curiosity and inability to identify warning signs make them more susceptible to dangers.

The onset of war inflates the average child death rate up to 24 times. Thousands die as the result of direct violence; millions more die from indirect consequences, including destruction of food supply, water systems, health services and sanitation


after: UNICEF, Child Rights Information Network and United Nations

Globally, 1 in 6 children work

218 million children aged 5 - 17 are involved in child labour world wide

126 million children work in hazardous conditions

The highest numbers of child labourers are in the Asia/Pacific region, where there are 122 million working children

The highest proportion of child labourers is in Sub Saharan Africa, where 26% of children (49 million) are involved in work.


after: International Labour Organisation