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European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

Children under attack: caring for Mali’s youngest victims of armed groups

The complex humanitarian crisis keeps deteriorating in Mali. An estimated 8.8 million people (over 1 in 3 Malians) required humanitarian assistance in 2023 - a 17% increase since 2022. The conflict triggers large-scale population displacements, particularly affecting children.

In a June 2022 report on Children and armed conflict, the United Nations Secretary General verified 994 grave violations against 648 children in 2021 – recruited into armed groups, arrested for their alleged association with armed groups, or killed (73) and maimed (128).

UNICEF, the UN’s Child Protection agency and a longstanding EU humanitarian partner, has been supporting unaccompanied and separated children released from armed groups in Mali’s Segou region. The conflict causes numerous traumas for internally displaced children.

With EU humanitarian support, children exiting armed forces and groups, as well as survivors of sexual violence, receive holistic care. They are supported with individual or community-based psychosocial support in dedicated safe spaces with access to food and hygiene, education and recreational activities.

View of a boy standing in the shadow, looking down on a front yard with people.
More than 1.3 million people in Mali have fled their homes since 2012. In 2022 alone, over 410,000 additional people were displaced, with few chances of returning home. More than 60% of forcibly displaced people are children.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Teenager sitting in a row. A teacher handing out papers.
School closures, especially due to attacks and threats against teachers, put children at risk of permanent drop out, depriving them of the protection usually offered by the school environment.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
A doctor attending a wounded knee of a boy. Both sitting on chairs.
Children victims of physical or sexual violence have access to the project’s social, medical, and judicial care, as well as mental health and psychosocial support.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
View of a schoolbuilding, in front some makeshift tents.
The violence in Mali specifically targets the education system: at the end of 2022, 1,726 schools were closed, and 517,800 children out of school. The EU funds several education projects for displaced children.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
View of a classroom, in front a teacher standing at a blackboard.
UNICEF reopens schools by establishing a dialogue on education with community leaders, parents, and education actors. Nearly 12 million girls and boys have benefitted from EU-funded educational projects between 2015 and 2021 worldwide.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
2 people talking to an aid worker while seated on the ground.
Over 65% of EU-funded actions on education in emergencies have integrated protection elements. This ensures safe learning spaces and links, where needed, to specialised child protection services.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
View of the school's playground, some children playing.
The schools include safe spaces for children to play and interact with trained counselors. It is critical to offer such spaces for children escaping conflict to feel secure, play, and benefit from the individual support they need.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Group of teenagers sitting on a wall, seen from the back.
The socioeconomic impact of the conflict has exacerbated pressures on families. Some have resorted to early marriages or child labour, including in artisanal mines, which increases the risk of recruitment by armed forces and groups.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Close up of a colourfull yellow and fluo green football shoe.
Most of these children have suffered physical and psychological violence due to their association with armed groups. Protection and psychosocial support services are a key part of UNICEF’s emergency education projects in regions affected by the conflict.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Close up of a football table with hands playing the game.
The projects promote social cohesion and peace, including through recreational activities and gender-sensitive youth clubs.
© UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

Story by Hilaire Avril, Regional Information Officer for West and Central Africa, EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
Photos © UNICEF, 2023. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Publication date: 10/02/2023