SOS Children’s Villages calls on all parties to prioritize children’s safety and well-being in conflict zones in the Middle East

STATEMENT - 11 March 2026

SOS Children's Villages calls on all parties to prioritize children's safety and well-being in conflict zones in the Middle East

As violence escalates across the Middle East, children face loss, displacement, and trauma that can last a lifetime. In every conflict, children are among the most vulnerable, and their safety, wellbeing, and right to grow up in a protective family environment must be safeguarded at all times. We call on all parties to immediately prioritize the protection of children and uphold their right to safety, security, and a childhood free from fear and harm. Their lives must never become collateral damage.

Conflict robs children of their homes, their families, and their sense of safety. Across the region, many children have already grown up amid repeated cycles of violence. The current escalation magnifies these risks, exposing children to displacement, separation from loved ones and psychological trauma that can shape their development for years to come - experiences no child should ever endure.

The international community must act decisively: the rights of children to safety and security must never be negotiable. We urge all parties to the conflict and the international community to:

• Take all possible measures to protect civilians, particularly children, and ensure their safety, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This includes their rights to life, survival, development, education, protection from abuse and violence, health care, and nutrition. All parties must respect international humanitarian and human rights law, ensuring civilians - especially children - are never targeted or placed in harm's way, in line with Article 3 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

• Ensure protection reaches children who have already lost parental care prior to the current escalation of the conflict, addressing their heightened vulnerabilities during displacement and emergencies, while strengthening early warning and rapid response systems to prevent forced family separation, exploitation, and neglect.

• Facilitate safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable children quickly.

• Ensure uninterrupted access to essential services, including education, healthcare, nutrition, and mental health and psychosocial support, with particular attention to the developmental and trauma-related needs of children affected by the conflict.

• Maintain robust and adaptive child protection systems, including family tracing, referral mechanisms, and care for unaccompanied or separated children, fully integrated into humanitarian programming to ensure no child is left behind.

• Scale up humanitarian aid and funding, with safe, sustained, and principled delivery that prioritizes vulnerable groups, particularly, unaccompanied minors, children who have lost parental care, and child- and women-headed households, to meet urgent survival and protection needs.

In every war, children bear the heaviest burden. The international community must ensure that every child survives, thrives, and has the chance to rebuild their future.