By Luisa Hofmann
The side event “The Impact of Nuclear Weapons on Children” was sponsored by Ireland, Thailand and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and focused on the disproportionate harm and unique suffering posed by nuclear weapons on children and babies.
It was moderated by Ms Melissa Parke (ICAN) and included a detailed overview of the 2024 ICAN report “The Impact of Nuclear Weapons on Children” by Mr Tim Wright (ICAN), interesting statements and remarks by H E Mr Cherdchai Chaivaivid (Thailand), Mr Rio Hada (OHCHR New York), Ms Veronique Christory, Dr Ira Helfand (IPPNW), Mr Jason Robinson (Ireland) as well as the moving testimony of Ms Setsuko Thurlow (Hibakusha) an activist who witnessed and survived the horrors of the Hiroshima bombing as a 13-year-old girl.
In the event of a nuclear attack, children and babies would suffer the most. Their developing bodies are more vulnerable to immediate harms such as radiation illness, burns, and blast injuries, while the destruction of support systems would leave them at greater risk of death, long term illnesses, and serious trauma. Far beyond the immediate devastation, nuclear war would rob children of their future —destroying schools, healthcare, and family structures. Psychological scars would last a lifetime, compounding the physical and social toll and often lifelong stigma. Decades of nuclear testing continue to disproportionately affect children with harms enduring for generations.
States committed to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) must recognize this humanitarian crisis and take proactive steps to protect children’s rights more. Linking disarmament efforts with child protection treaties like the Convention on the Rights of the Child and fundamental human rights guarantees under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) can strengthen advocacy and drive urgent action.
The case for a nuclear-weapon-free world is clear: We must protect the most vulnerable of our society and ensure that no child ever faces the horrors of a nuclear war again!
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