The exploitation of children by terrorist actors is a grave violation that inflicts significant physical and psychological harm, impairing the long-term personal, intellectual, and social development of the affected children. This issue, characterized by extreme brutality, involves systematic abuses such as coercive recruitment methods, sexual exploitation, enslavement, threats, and the use of children in military operations, including as human shields, executioners, or suicide bombers. The susceptibility of children to indoctrination exacerbates their vulnerability, making them prime targets for coercion into acts of violence, terrorism, and war crimes. In many instances, the criminalization of child involvement in terrorism, compounded by the security imperative to defeat terrorism, results in secondary victimization within the justice system. While there is a shared international commitment to protecting children from violence, addressing the exploitation of children affected by terrorism requires sustained, inclusive, and multilateral responses on a global scale.

The Ancillary Meeting "Violence Against Children Recruited by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups: The Cycle of Victimization" highlighted the severe forms of violence children face at the hands of terrorist groups. It examined the human rights challenges in the context of counter-terrorism and explores rehabilitation and reintegration efforts essential for helping children rebuild their lives with dignity.

This meeting aligned with the 2021 Crime Congress Agenda, specifically focusing on:

1. International Cooperation and Technical Assistance to Prevent and Address All Forms of Crime: a) Terrorism in All Its Forms and Manifestations b) New and Emerging Forms of Crime
2. Integrated Approaches to Challenges Facing the Criminal Justice System: a) Reducing Reoffending b) Identifying Risks and Developing Solutions