War is always hard on children but it’s got worse in the past ten years. Major armed conflicts have been replaced by low-level fighting, often between factions within the same country. These smaller wars blur the lines between combatants, criminals and terrorists and present new, more brutal threats to the unprotected. Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director "In today’s conflicts children and other civilians are directly targeted and threats to children living in strife are increasing. They are not only caught in the crossfire, they are often the intended victims of violence, abuse and exploitation." The new UN report says progress has been made. There is more legal protection for children victimized by war, but much more needs to be done to support all children affected by conflict. Hilde Johnson, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director "The reality on the ground, is, and the Machel Strategic Report does note that it’s still incredibly difficult for very very many children. In 2006 more than 18 million children were affected by displacement as a consequence of conflict. More than 43 million children in 30 conflict-affected states are out of school." Many war crimes against children are committed with impunity and the UN report urges its member states adhere to international standards, and to emphasize the rights of children during and after war. Ishmael Beah, Former child soldier "Youth who have come out of this have a more first hand knowledge about what the violence does to them and what can be done to really help them, those that are affected. Those that continue to be affected. So I think it’s very important that at every stage of this children are sought after and listened to and their views taken into consideration." It’s very important at every stage that children's views are taken into consideration.

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