O Mighty Warrior, our hearts are breaking, there is fire in our veins, and we wrestle with demons when we close our eyes at night. Our children are facing atrocities that could break the strongest of humans. We are killing them in mind, body, spirit. Please hear us beg for mercy…for every child on this planet.
“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF’S history – both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
From Palestine to Myanmar, Haiti to Sudan, the world is experiencing the highest number of conflicts since the World War II. Almost 19 per cent of the world’s children – over 473 million – now live in conflict zones, and 47.2 million have been displaced by conflict and violence.
There have been widespread reports of rape and sexual violence against women and girls in conflict settings. In Haiti, there has been a 1,000 per cent increase in reported incidents of sexual violence against children.
Ms. Russell states, “This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s unchecked wars.”
The numbers involved in France’s largest child abuse trial are staggering: 299 alleged victims, sexually abused in 10 hospitals and clinics over 25 years – all by one doctor.
Joël Le Scouarnec, a retired gastrointestinal surgeon accused of decades of abuse, said at the opening of his trial that the harm he has caused is “beyond repair.”
Hundreds of people who say they suffered physical or sexual abuse at two state-run reform schools in Florida, USA are in line to receive tens of thousands of dollars in restitution after Florida lawmakers formally apologized for the horrors the plaintiffs endured as children more than 50 years ago.
Hundreds of men have come forward to recount brutal beatings, sexual assaults, deaths and disappearances at Florida’s Dozier School for Boys. Nearly 100 boys died between 1900 and 1973 at Dozier, some of them from gunshot wounds or blunt force trauma.
When Malaysian police raided two dozen homes run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings, they rescued over 600 children and have since detained hundreds of people, charging some with crimes including child trafficking, sexual abuse and organized crime.
A judge in Ecuador has ordered the detention of 16 air force members accused of involvement in the disappearance of four children, whose charred remains were discovered weeks after they were seen being forced into a military patrol car against their will. The case has shocked the nation and sparked protests against the military, which has been spearheading President Daniel Noboa’s crackdown on violent criminal groups.
BishopAccountability.org, a USA-based abuse tracking group states that Philippine priests accused of sexual abuse against children remain in active ministry in the Catholic-majority country. The organization is urging the country’s bishops to take action and hold the alleged perpetrators accountable.
Eight months ago, the United States Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, M.D., (last day in office: 1.20.25) officially declared firearm violence a public health crisis. In his advisory, Murthy noted that firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.
Globally, the U.S. ranks at the 93rd percentile for overall firearm mortality, 92nd percentile for children and teens, and 96th percentile for women.
Nearly all U.S. states have a higher firearm mortality rate than most other countries. Death rates due to physical violence by firearm in U.S. states are closer to rates seen in countries experiencing active conflict.
Tender, Fierce Protector of us all, depravity is lurking behind every corner. The children of the world need us to end the violence that permeates their lives. Please honor them, cradle them and assure them that they are loved so deeply, Nurturing Mama. Lead us all to Peace…using all your creative strategies – Lead us all to Peace. Amen.
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