A/70/162 conflict on the ground in Yemen have engaged in widespread child recruitment since the conflict intensified. 5. Incidents of abduction of children rose significantly and were perpetrated increasingly on a wide scale by extremist groups. In Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, for instance, more than 1,000 girls and boys were abducted by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In one incident in Aleppo, Syrian A rab Republic, ISIL abducted approximately 150 young boys on their way home after their school exams. The abductions were in addition to the numerous mass abductions committed by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), more commonly known as Boko Haram, in north-eastern Nigeria over the past few years. Many other parties to conflict also committed abductions, including in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and South Sudan. 6. The information gathered by the Office of the Sp ecial Representative, through the monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict, informed and galvanized international action on abductions during the reporting period. The data received demonstrate an increase in the frequency and scale of abductions, which has resulted in greater protection needs for children. The children require safe release, family tracing and medical and psychosocial assistance, and the facilitation of voluntary repatriation in the context of cross-border abductions. 7. The violations committed against children affected by conflict were compounded by sexual violence reportedly committed by foreign troops or peacekeepers in a number of situations of armed conflict. Grave violatio ns against children by those entrusted to protect the population are particularly egregious; the perpetrators should be held to account. 8. The impact of conflict continued to be felt by children long after the most severe violence had subsided. Children were deprived of adequate services and shelter, and suffered the long-term physical and psychological scars of conflict. In Gaza, one year after the conflict, children’s access to education, health care, and water and sanitation services remained hampered. Delays in the rebuilding of destroyed schools and homes constrained access by children to education, and some 100,000 people remained displaced. In the Central African Republic, thousands of children were still associated with parties to conflict, despite a few hundred having been released during the reporting period, in particular after the signature of a commitment by armed groups on 5 May 2015. Child protection actors on the ground face the ongoing challenge of receiving and assisting hundreds of childr en at short notice, as the mobilization of expertise and funding is required once political commitments have been gained. 9. The challenges outlined above notwithstanding, the present report highlights important new initiatives undertaken by the Special R epresentative and other child protection actors to improve the well-being of children living through conflict. Encouragingly, progress has been achieved: thousands of children have been released by parties to conflict; commitments have been issued by non -State armed groups; and agreements have been concluded with Governments on the handover of children separated from armed groups. 15-12221 3/17