The number of civilian fatalities in war zones has increased by more than 40 percent in 2024 to at least 48,384 people, according to statistics issued by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR). This number involves disproportionate casualties of women, children, journalists and human rights defenders groups, which are regularly discriminated against systematically and targeted by violence.
The threats are also consistent and dangerous. Over 500 human rights defenders were killed in the year 2024 alone and the list of murdered journalists increased by ten percent in relation to the last year. In active war zones, every 14 hours, a human rights activist, journalist or even trade unionist is killed or forcibly disappeared, possibly because of the high risks that these individuals are involved with in defending basic rights.
Conflict-impacted countries bearing the brunt
The current violence between the Sudan Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has created mass atrocities especially in the West Darfur region. There have been increased reports of ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, and targeted executions where thousands have been forced to leave.
Although the international judicial institutions like the International Criminal Court (ICC) are part of the international system, the issue is that the implementation is still not meaningful. The movement of weapons and lack of diplomatic pressure has enabled violence to flourish, further complicating the human rights crisis even though there are still investigations going on.
Ukraine: systematic violations amid prolonged war
With the fourth year of conflict, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine keeps growing with an increase of 30 percent during the period of 2023-2024. Hospitals, schools and power stations have been targeted by Russian airstrikes directly affecting civilian population and infrastructure.
Educational systems in occupied territories are being adjusted to contain pro-Kremlin ideologies, and there have been increasing reports of torture, summary executions and arbitrary arrests. According to international monitoring missions, there is a decline in accountability procedures and the survivors and their families have nothing to look into.
Gaza and West Bank: enduring occupation and humanitarian strain
The war in Gaza in 2023 led to the greatest amount of civilian casualties, tremendous damage to infrastructure, and sustained security operations. Ceasefires are not long-term, and there are constant hostages, arbitrary detentions, and humanitarian blockades.
The growth of the Israeli settlements and the displacement of Palestinian citizens in the West Bank are against the norms of international law. Such policies lead to the destabilization as well as undermining any chances of a lasting peace in the region.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: insecurity and mass displacement
In 2025, armed conflict in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially in its eastern provinces, escalated. Outside forces have supported militia groups vowing abuses such as sexual violence and random killings, including M23.
The situation is quite dire, as the number of individuals displaced has already increased two-fold in the preceding year alone, showing 7.8 million people who are currently displaced. The international agencies still urge the need to have inclusive peace brokering discussions and accountability procedures against all the abusers.
Haiti and Yemen: overlapping humanitarian and security emergencies
The state of Haiti is still volatile as gang control is on the increase and state governance collapses. Rapid assaults, kidnappings and blockage of humanitarian aid have greatly compromised protection of human rights.
Yemen, in the tenth year of conflict, is still experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe as almost 20 million individuals are now relying on aid. The state and non-state actors are accused of attacking civilians, aids and journalists, preventing relief missions and the further suffering of civilians.
Broader trends in conflict and human rights
In 2024, the rate of violent conflict in the world had gone up by 25 percent from the year before. Key accelerants have been observed to be proxy wars, state repression as well as internal political breakdowns. Such states are vulnerable, especially the fragile states, which have no institutional strength to maintain human rights norms in times of crisis.
Areas that already have gaps of governance have a tendency to experience steep increases in violence. These processes make peacebuilding difficult especially when warring groups are trying to gain territorial dominance by use of violence.
Global peace index and multidimensional violence
The 2025 Global Peace Index confirms that there has been a further decrease of general peacefulness. Civil wars, terrorism and gender based violence have increased in frequency and spread. Homicides involving firearms, which is an increasing problem in Latin America and some parts of Africa, also exacerbates the human security crisis.
These overlapping aspects of civil, structural and criminal violence pose problems that transcend the traditional conflict resolution models. Human rights workers have to now find their way into more complicated environments to provide aid and help victims.
Progress and efforts in advancing human rights protections
In the face of increasing threats, some countries have recorded some small gains in the fight against human rights abuses. International legal systems have been used by countries like Bangladesh and South Africa to probe state violence, prosecute military officials and acknowledge the rights of those on the margins.
Civil society groups and grassroots movements are still critical. They record abuse, raise the voice of the survivor, and place pressure on the institutions to respond. Their work has brought about parliamentary investigations, truth commissions and in certain other cases even reforming the policy to enhance long term security.
International frameworks and evolving mandates
The international organizations such as the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Court of Justice are increasing their mandate. It is slowly becoming recognized that peacekeeping needs to be complemented with a sound human rights monitoring presence.
In 2025, UN initiatives were initiated based on survivor-centered justice, with support services and psychological care being considered first. This is a change in direction to the punitive models in favor of holistic reparative approaches which focus on victim needs to the processes of transitional justice.
The nexus between conflict and rights in a volatile global landscape
Human rights and armed conflict collide in 2025, which demonstrates both unimaginable regressions and new accountability opportunities. Civilian vulnerability continues to be used by armed groups, authoritarian regimes and outside military forces. But civil action, court litigation and combined diplomatic efforts have managed to establish areas of success providing a template on what to do in the future.
The conflicts in the human rights challenges in the conflict zones require synchronized action that cuts across the emergency assistance, long term growth and transitional justice. Building strong local government, defending frontline fighters and entrenching legal safeguards within peace efforts are imperative. It is unclear whether such attempts will be expandable amidst the increasing instability in the world, which is one of the questions of the future of human rights protection.