Half a billion children suffer from armed conflict

Berlin, 11 February 2025. On Red Hand Day, the international day of action against the use of children and young people as soldiers, the German Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers urges the German government to increase humanitarian aid and development cooperation for children affected by war and to work towards peaceful conflict resolution and the prosecution of perpetrators.

"More and more children around the world are affected by armed conflict: we estimate that in 2024, the figure was half a billion children," says Frank Mischo from Kindernothilfe, spokesperson for the German Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. "Around one in five children today live in crisis and conflict zones, which is twice as many as in the 1990s." More and more children are affected by serious violations of children's rights in armed conflicts: recruitment as soldiers, killing and mutilation, sexual violence, abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian aid. Mischo warns: "Perpetrators must finally be consistently prosecuted, and prosecution, e.g. by the International Criminal Court, must be protected rather than obstructed."

The alliance is calling for a significant increase in funding for humanitarian aid and development aid for children affected by war. "Aid must not be obstructed under any circumstances, as is increasingly happening, for example in Myanmar, Gaza, the West Bank and Afghanistan. That is why our colleagues on the ground have to take increasingly risky, often life-threatening measures to protect children from starvation or disease" says Ralf Willinger of Terre des Hommes, spokesperson for the German Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. "Everything must be done to stop the violence and resolve conflicts peacefully – both locally and internationally. This is also our expectation of the new federal government."

On 12 February 2002, the Additional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on children in armed conflict came into force, prohibiting the use of under-18s in armed conflicts. On Red Hand Day on 12 February, the day against the use of children and young people as soldiers, the German Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, together with numerous organisations worldwide, is calling for actions using the symbol of the red hand. Half a million people in over 50 countries worldwide have already protested against the abuse of children as soldiers with their hand prints. Many of the nine member organisations of the German Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers support aid projects for child soldiers worldwide.
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For further information and interviews: Spokespersons for the German Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers:

• Frank Mischo, Kindernothilfe, Tel.: 02 03 / 77 89-129, frank.mischo@knh.de
• Ralf Willinger, Terre des Hommes, Tel.: 05 41 / 71 01-108, r.willinger@tdh.de

Further information:

redhandday.org

kindersoldaten.info (German website)    

Member Organisations of the German Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers:

• Aktion Weißes Friedensband
• Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft DFG-VK
• Kindernothilfe
• Dt. NK des Lutherischen Weltbundes
• missio
• Pax Christi
• Quäker-Hilfe Stiftung
• Terre des Hommes
• World Vision