Our War on Children
Does anybody even care?
Long ago, when I foolishly believed that the goodness of humans would outpace the evil nature of humans, I thought that during a war when the first child is killed that both sides would throw down their weapons of terror and say what in God’s name are we doing?!
India, 2016, Photo by Stephen J. Lyons
“Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed, and I believe someone must stand up and say that there is a better way.”
—Pope Leo XIV
Silly me, right? That kind of candy-ass, libtard thinking is much too woke for Secretary of the Killing of Innocents Pistol Pete “Last Call” Hegseth and his blood brother, Bibi “the Butcher of Beirut” Yahoo. Yet, if any of the men in charge of this so-called “warrior ethos” are even vaguely interested, or have a shred of decency left (spoiler alert: they don’t), the Geneva Convention has many provisions protecting women and children.
For example, Article 17: “The Parties to the conflict shall endeavour to conclude local agreements for the removal from besieged or encircled areas, of wounded, sick, infirm, and aged persons, children and maternity cases, and for the passage of ministers of all religions, medical personnel and medical equipment on their way to such areas.”
Morocco, 2017, Photo by Stephen J. Lyons.
The Geneva Conventions of 1949 came out after the United States obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nukes, killing an estimated 38,000 children. And, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), “countless more died years or even decades later from radiation-related cancers and other illnesses. Leukaemia – cancer of the blood – was especially prevalent among the young.” ICAN also said that the nuclear bombs dropped over Japan were “two relatively small nuclear weapons (by today’s standard).”
(Note: President Trump once said, “when crazy people have nuclear weapons, bad things happen.” Wonder who he was referring to?)
President Trump began his war of choice possibly at the behest of pal Bibi at the end of February by bombing a girls’ school in Minab, Hormozgan province in Iran. Out of the 168 killed 100 were children.
“Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” Pope Leo XIV
Mexico, 2022, Photo by Stephen J. Lyons
Amazonia, Brazil, 2022, Phoro by Stephen J. Lyons.
“This harrowing attack on a school, with classrooms full of children, is a sickening illustration of the catastrophic and entirely predictable price civilians are paying during this armed conflict. Schools must be places of safety and learning for children. Instead, this school in Minab became a site of mass killing. The US authorities could, and should, have known it was a school building. Targeting a protected civilian object, such as a school, is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns.
I don’t buy for a second that the U.S. is honestly investigating this horrific slaughter, or that there will ever be anyone held to account for these deaths. In any case, how do you compensate for the death of a child?
Honduras, 2024, Photo by Stephen J. Lyons.
Kenya, 2025, Photos by Stephen J. Lyons
But that bombing was only the opening salvo of the US and Israel’s war on children.
“Reports indicate more than 1,800 children have been killed or injured since Feb. 28, 2026; 214 children have been reported killed in Iran, 116 in Lebanon, 4 in Israel and 1 in Kuwait. The number of children injured includes more than 1,190 in Iran, 331 in Lebanon, 4 in Israel and 4 in Bahrain. These numbers will likely climb as the conflict intensifies and spreads.
“Beyond the death toll, the escalation is exposing children to traumatic events, causing widespread psychological distress among kids and caregivers. Repeated alerts, bombardments and uncertainty are disrupting daily routines, increasing the need for mental health and psychosocial support services.
“Civilian infrastructure including homes, hospitals, schools, and water and sanitation systems have been attacked, damaged or destroyed by parties to the conflict, disrupting services that children rely on for survival and well-being. In some areas, health facilities have been forced to suspend operations, while airspace closures and disrupted transport routes threaten access to essential medicines and routine immunization services. Millions of children are out of school, cut off from safe learning environments and support systems.”
—UNICEF USA
On March 25, at a “Christian” worship service, Secretary of the Slaughter of Innocents, Pete Hegseth asked Pentagon officials to pray for “overwhelming violence” against enemies in Iran in the “name of Jesus Christ” and to “break the teeth of the ungodly.”
“Now Jesus don’t like killing, no matter what the reason for,
And your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore.”
—John Prine
Our accomplice in this war-that-didn’t-need-to-happen-but-we-must-keep-the-defense-economy-robust, Little Man Bibi and his IDF are experienced killers of children in Gaza. Here is an excerpt from an October 7, 2024, UNICEF report titled, “A year of tears: 12 months of war on children.”
“In Gaza, at least 14,000 children have reportedly been killed, many more injured, while thousands are likely under the rubble, and an estimated 17,000 others are unaccompanied or separated from their caregivers.
“More than 55 displacement orders remain in effect, covering up to 86 per cent of the Gaza Strip. Children have lost access to quality healthcare, education, and other services. All children are now in need of mental health and psychosocial support. One year into the war, children’s most basic needs remain unmet.
“Persistent restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial commodities, and the inability of humanitarians to safely reach all children and families, have rendered the Gaza population acutely food insecure . All 335,000 children under five are at high risk of malnutrition.”
Currently? Save the Children reports: “As of September 2025, over 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza during nearly 23 months of conflict, with reports indicating more than one child is killed every hour. Over 1,000 children killed were under the age of one, and thousands more are missing, likely trapped under rubble. The violence has also resulted in over 21,000 children suffering from injuries leading to permanent disabilities.”
Cambodia, 2026, Photo by Stephen J. Lyons
If you only think of children as merely faceless collateral damage, then you can be freed of imagining a child’s smile, or laughter, or innocence. As with Israel and the United States, you can even believe that God is on your side. No doubt Iran has the same belief about a God who picks sides.
“God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” Pope Leo XIV
I am fortunate to be a father and grandfather, and to also have traveled around the world meeting with children from Kenya to Morocco to Cuba and many other countries. I post their photos here so that you when hear about another mass killing of children in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, or any place where bullets and bombs fly, you can hold these images in your head and contemplate the losses not as numbers but as precious individuals whose lives needlessly ended because of decisions made by heartless, morally vacant elderly men.
Cuba, 2012, Photo by Stephen J. Lyons.
Cuba, 2012, Photo by Stephen J. Lyons.