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Armed Conflict: Children
04 February 2026
Lead MP
Sarah Smith
Hyndburn
Lab
Responding Minister
Mr Hamish Falconer
Tags
UkraineDefence
Word Count: 8918
Other Contributors: 12
At a Glance
Sarah Smith raised concerns about armed conflict: children in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
I ask the Minister whether the Government will push Israel to agree to and implement a UN action plan to reduce harm to children, and ensure it remains listed in the report until that has been fully achieved.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Today one in five children across the world are growing up in conflict zones. Between 2020 and 2024, nearly 50,000 have become casualties of war—the equivalent of 200 full passenger planes. More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza alone since the ceasefire in early October 2025. Children are seven times more likely than adults to die from blast injuries.
Ayoub Khan
Ind
Birmingham Perry Barr
More than 500 million children are living in active conflict zones around the world. The Government have failed on both humanitarian and development assistance as well as political action necessary to prevent conflicts.
Brian Leishman
Lab
Alloa and Grangemouth
Discussed the impact of conflict on children, citing Save the Children's report on over 20,000 child casualties in Gaza.
Chris Evans
Lab/Co-op
Caerphilly
The UK must invest in conflict prevention and peacebuilding strategies, address the root causes that make children vulnerable, and find a way to give children a voice to express what they need.
Helen Grant
Con
Maidstone and Malling
Children absolutely deserve the right to continue to have even the tiniest opportunity for some form of normality. Children in very difficult settings can provide them with a lifeline and a place where they can feel safe, make friends and build up their self-confidence and self-esteem.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Children in conflict zones, especially those as young as eight or nine, are being exploited by armed forces and groups. The situation is exacerbated in Nigeria with Boko Haram's campaign of violence against religious minorities leading to the recruitment of child soldiers and loss of access to education.
Kirsteen Sullivan
Lab/Co-op
Bathgate and Linlithgow
Kidnap is increasingly being used as a tool of war, with thousands of children abducted in Ukraine and Nigeria. This raises immense concerns about the safety and wellbeing of these children. Worries about British-made military components being diverted to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have nearly 1,200 attributed violations against children in Sudan. Requests reassurance from the government.
Aylesbury
According to UNICEF, 100% of children in Gaza face mental health challenges. This statistic is no surprise given the situation that children face in Gaza.
Esher and Walton
Highlights issues affecting Ukrainian and Gaza children, including abduction, displacement, malnutrition, and risk of explosive ordnance. Calls for action to protect children in conflict zones.
Glasgow West
Israeli armed forces were responsible for 7,188 grave violations against Palestinian children in 2024, with 3,867 killed or maimed. This highlights the urgent need for international action to protect children in conflict zones.
Paul Waugh
Lab/Co-op
Rochdale
Emphasised the need for aid and support for children affected by conflicts, referencing high rates of child amputations in Gaza.
Tahir Ali
Lab
Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley
Children are often used as tools, and even child soldiers, in many areas of conflict. In Sudan, for example, more than 10 million children have been affected by the conflict.
Wendy Morton
Con
Aldridge-Brownhills
Children are deliberate targets in conflicts like Ukraine, where over 20,000 children have been forcibly taken from families. The UK must support efforts to identify and track abducted Ukrainian children and sanction those responsible.
Government Response
Mr Hamish Falconer
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Government Response
The Government is working on practical steps to support the identification and return of abducted Ukrainian children. Progress has been made in sanctions enforcement against responsible individuals, and efforts are being made to secure humanitarian access and accountability mechanisms for crimes committed against children. According to the United Nations Secretary-General, grave violations against children surged by 25% in 2024. Children are being killed, maimed, abducted and abused at staggering levels. We will keep pushing loudly and consistently to protect children wherever we can. This year, we are spending £450,000 on UNICEF’s monitoring and reporting mechanism, on top of £250,000 spent last year. Regarding the partial opening of the Rafah crossing, that is being prioritised for those most medically vulnerable, although there are still small numbers crossing on foot mostly into Egypt. Since October 2023, at least 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza. We announced £4 million for the UN Mine Action Service in Gaza and provided £81 million in humanitarian early recovery support for Palestine as part of our £116 million package. UK-Med teams have supported more than 950,000 patients with consultations, we have provided nearly £30 million to UNRWA to try to keep education and healthcare moving, and we continue to raise the matter of mistreatment of Palestinian children in detention repeatedly with Israel.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.