#indirect harm

Explosive weapons have devastating impacts on the lives of children across the globe. From the increased likelihood of disabilities, to the impacts on their mental health, to the disruption to their education, one thing is clear: the effects of explosive weapons on children are far-reaching. Such effects also impact boys and girls in different ways.

The use of explosive weapons continues to have horrendous impacts on civilians. Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) recorded 32,110 casualties from explosive violence in 2018. Of these, 70% (22,342) were reported to be civilians. In populated areas, this percentage rose to over 90%.

While the UN have defined killing and maiming as one of the six ‘grave violations’ against children in armed conflict, the indiscriminate nature of explosive weapons continues to contravene this stance. Between October 2010 and July 2019, AOAV has recorded 13,284 child casualties – killed or injured – caused by explosive weapons, as reported in English language media. According to Save the Children, child casualties in conflict often go unreported, and so the real number is likely to be far higher. On the whole, many casualty monitors do not disaggregate victims by age. When they do differentiate children from adults, they often do not report the gender of children.