United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has added Russia’s military forces to his annual "list of shame" of parties to armed conflict who commit grave violations against children. Unfortunately, he again omitted Israel, which belongs on the list. This sends a mixed message about the UN’s willingness to hold powerful governments accountable, said Jo Becker, Human Rights Watch Advocacy Director, Children's Rights Division.

“Globally, violations against children occurred on a shocking scale in 2022. The UN verified over 24,000 instances in which armed forces or groups killed or injured children, subjected them to sexual violence, abduction, or recruitment as soldiers, or attacked schools and hospitals. Over half the violations took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel/Palestine, Somalia, Syria, and Ukraine,” she wrote.

“Israel’s continued omission from the list of shame does a grave disservice to Palestinian children. The secretary general’s report found Israeli forces responsible for 975 child casualties and 110 attacks on schools and hospitals in 2022. The UN has attributed over 6,700 Palestinian child casualties to Israeli forces from 2015-2020”, said Becker.

“While the secretary-general has never included Israel in his list, he has included other forces or groups responsible for far fewer violations. The secretary-general’s continued unwillingness to hold Israeli forces accountable for massive violations puts many children at risk”, she added.

The Advocacy Director stressed that Guterres should hold all governments to account for their violations, regardless of their influence.

In Becker’s words, the stigma attached to the secretary-general’s ‘list of shame’ is considerable. Israel and other countries have resorted to aggressive lobbying and, in some cases, even UN blackmail, to stay off the list of the worst violators. The only credible way off is to sign and implement a concrete action plan with the UN to end violations.

She called on the secretary-general hold all governments to account for their violations, no matter how powerful.