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Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2018
- Document code
- A/HRC/37/47
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2017
- Document code
- A/72/276
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2018
- Document code
- A/73/278
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2021
- Document code
- A/76/231
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2020
- Document code
- A/HRC/46/39
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2020
- Document code
- A/75/203
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2018
- Document code
- A/HRC/40/49
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2019
- Document code
- A/74/249
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2019
- Document code
- A/HRC/43/38
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2023
- Document code
- A/HRC/52/60
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2022
- Document code
- A/HRC/49/58
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2022
- Document code
- A/77/143
Document
Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2023
- Document code
- A/77/895
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2016
- Document code
- A/HRC/31/19
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2015
- Document code
- A/HRC/28/54
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2011
- Document code
- A/HRC/18/38
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2012
- Document code
- A/HRC/21/38
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2013
- Document code
- A/68/267
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2014
- Document code
- A/HRC/25/46
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2010
- Document code
- A/65/219
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2011
- Document code
- A/66/256
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2014
- Document code
- A/69/212
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2017
- Document code
- A/HRC/34/44
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2010
- Document code
- A/HRC/15/58
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2012
- Document code
- A/67/256
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2016
- Document code
- A/71/205
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2015
- Document code
- A/70/162
Document
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- The 1996 Graça Machel study on the impact of armed conflict on children (A/51/306 and Add.1) and the 2007 10-year review of that study (see A/62/228) noted that the changing nature of conflict put children at a higher risk than ever before. Children have become more vulnerable to new tactics of war, including the blurring of lines between military and civilian targets, constriction of humanitarian space and access to affected populations, deliberate targeting of traditional safe havens and critical infrastructures such as educational institutions and medical facilities, and the rise of terrorism as well as counter-terrorism measures. Studies have also shown that armed conflicts hamper the achievement of the eight Millennium Development Goals, six of which promote the rights and well-being of children. Conflicts create an environment in which grave violations are committed against children and, by interrupting or slowing development, children are denied opportunities for a better future. Therefore, the changing nature of conflict and the impact on children continues to be an overarching framework of analysis for the agenda on children and armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Protecting vulnerable populations, and especially children, should be paramount during military operations. New tactics of war, the absence of clear battlefields and increasingly numerous and diverse parties to conflict in terms of their composition, motivations and character have complicated matters. Moreover, the rise of terrorism where civilians are the main victims directly challenges the distinction between military and civilian targets, one of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. Counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency also blur the line between what is legitimate and what is not in addressing security threats. Raids against predominately civilian targets, including night raids, and the use of aerial bombardment in civilian-populated areas, make children more vulnerable to being killed or maimed and often serve to fuel resentment and conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- Rules of engagement of armed forces stipulate that the protection of civilians should remain the foremost consideration in the course of military operations. Increasingly, however, the record indicates that these strictures are inadequate to ensure the safety of children. Moreover, as noted by the Secretary-General in his most recent report on children and armed conflict (A/64/742-S/2010/181), there also seems to be a growing practice of putting children in the direct line of danger, through, for instance, their use for intelligence-gathering in military operations. This includes the interrogation of children separated from armed groups during military actions, in contravention of standards that require the immediate transfer of such children to protection actors.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 6a
- Paragraph text
- [In this regard, the development of standard operating procedures by armed forces is critical in order to put in place additional protection measures for children during military operations. Regional and United Nations peacekeeping missions should also prioritize such measures and procedures in the context of peacekeeping engagements or where international forces are supporting national forces in joint operations. These standard operating procedures may vary from one context to another, but a minimum set of measures should include:] Joint military-civilian assessment of the security risk for populations, and especially children, prior to any military action;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 6b
- Paragraph text
- [In this regard, the development of standard operating procedures by armed forces is critical in order to put in place additional protection measures for children during military operations. Regional and United Nations peacekeeping missions should also prioritize such measures and procedures in the context of peacekeeping engagements or where international forces are supporting national forces in joint operations. These standard operating procedures may vary from one context to another, but a minimum set of measures should include:] Refraining from engaging in combat and/or using heavy artillery in highly populated areas;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 6c
- Paragraph text
- [In this regard, the development of standard operating procedures by armed forces is critical in order to put in place additional protection measures for children during military operations. Regional and United Nations peacekeeping missions should also prioritize such measures and procedures in the context of peacekeeping engagements or where international forces are supporting national forces in joint operations. These standard operating procedures may vary from one context to another, but a minimum set of measures should include:] Protecting schools and hospitals as zones of peace;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 6d
- Paragraph text
- [In this regard, the development of standard operating procedures by armed forces is critical in order to put in place additional protection measures for children during military operations. Regional and United Nations peacekeeping missions should also prioritize such measures and procedures in the context of peacekeeping engagements or where international forces are supporting national forces in joint operations. These standard operating procedures may vary from one context to another, but a minimum set of measures should include:] Refraining from occupying or using schools and health facilities, or their vicinity, for purposes that could turn them into military targets;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 6e
- Paragraph text
- [In this regard, the development of standard operating procedures by armed forces is critical in order to put in place additional protection measures for children during military operations. Regional and United Nations peacekeeping missions should also prioritize such measures and procedures in the context of peacekeeping engagements or where international forces are supporting national forces in joint operations. These standard operating procedures may vary from one context to another, but a minimum set of measures should include:] Undertaking post-operation evaluations of the impact on civilians, including children;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 6f
- Paragraph text
- [In this regard, the development of standard operating procedures by armed forces is critical in order to put in place additional protection measures for children during military operations. Regional and United Nations peacekeeping missions should also prioritize such measures and procedures in the context of peacekeeping engagements or where international forces are supporting national forces in joint operations. These standard operating procedures may vary from one context to another, but a minimum set of measures should include:] Developing procedures for the reception, treatment and rapid handover to United Nations child protection actors of children separated from armed groups in the course of military operations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Member States seem increasingly resolved to better protect vulnerable populations, including through more explicit civilian protection provisions in peacekeeping mandates. In United Nations peacekeeping, this has led to the development of new operational arrangements such as the Joint Protection Teams and Rapid Response and Early Warning Cell of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). The objective of these initiatives is to deepen information as the basis for more effective action; to better coordinate action across civilian, police and military components of peacekeeping operations; and to leverage peacekeeping resources more effectively, in particular the advantage of their physical presence in remote areas where the access of humanitarian actors may be limited. The evolution of the "conditionality policy" in MONUSCO (ensuring that support to national forces will be provided only if they comply with the condition that they protect civilians) is another healthy practice in the development of peacekeeping norms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Detention of children for alleged association with armed groups or other threats to security remains a significant concern. This includes the use of administrative detention in several conflict scenarios. An unknown number of children have been captured, arrested and detained by security and law enforcement forces in contravention of international standards for juvenile justice.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Detention of children should be in line with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice, which include specific protection with regard to the age of the child, access granted to child protection partners, appropriate legal counsel and provision of psychosocial support and activities. The treatment of children must be based on the objective of their future reintegration into society.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Child protection actors have regularly raised specific concerns related to conditions of detention, especially in overcrowded facilities, ill-treatment, including torture by adult detainees and corrections personnel, and acts of sexual violence perpetrated in detention facilities. The age of criminal responsibility is also a specific concern, particularly as it relates to children detained on security-related charges. Emphasis should be placed on alternatives to institutionalization of these children and on non-judicial and restorative processes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Children being detained by multinational forces is also a concern that must be addressed by Member States. In such cases, access by child protection actors to all facilities, including high-security sites, is necessary for ensuring that procedures of detention and due process for children are in line with international standards. Beyond the responsibility and imperative to protect children, this represents a critical issue in respect of the credibility of international and multinational forces.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- A marked characteristic of the changing nature of conflict is deliberate attacks against and destruction of educational infrastructure, including the targeting of schoolchildren and teachers. This is illustrated by data which indicate that over one third of the 72 million out-of-school children of primary school age reside in low-income countries affected by conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- In response to this crisis of education in conflict and other emergency settings, Member States, United Nations entities and civil society organizations have undertaken a concerted campaign in the past several years, which resulted in the adoption by the General Assembly in July 2010 of resolution 64/290 on the right to education in emergency situations. The resolution affirms that attacks on educational buildings is a war crime and threatens the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, including in the context of education for all.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Another positive development is the recent creation of the interdisciplinary Global Coalition for Protecting Education from Attack, comprising United Nations organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and researchers. The Coalition will focus on the prevention of attacks on education, effective response, enhanced monitoring and reporting, increased accountability and development of stronger international norms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Beyond the destruction of educational facilities through deliberate targeting or as collateral damage during armed confrontation, attacks against education also present other faces. For instance, there are reports of the use of acid and gas on girl students on their way to or at school, as well as shootings and suicide bombings in school premises. In some contexts, schools are a prime recruiting ground of children by armed groups. Elsewhere, school buildings are used as training centres or as military bases, turning them into high-value military targets.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- The motivations for attacking teachers, students and school buildings are numerous and cynical, including to achieve military, political or sociocultural objectives. In some cases, attacks are perpetrated as a means of creating a general climate of insecurity, to destabilize local communities or target them for retribution for perceived support of the Government, or to undermine the Government by destroying symbols of State institutions. The result is a growing disregard for the sanctity of schools, the notion that schools, above all other places, are safe havens for children. The consequence is a growing fear among children to attend school, among teachers to give classes, and among parents to send their children to school.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Attacks against schools and hospitals have been designated as one of six grave violations that are now systematically recorded under the Secretary-General's monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children in armed conflict. However, such attacks are still underreported and there remains a lack of knowledge concerning the context of attacks, the perpetrators and their specific motivations, and other factors that need to be understood in order to address the problem.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- It is imperative that schools and other educational facilities be considered as zones of peace for children - safe havens even in contexts of conflict and instability. The concept of schools as zones of peace should extend also to school instruction and curricula, with emphasis on peace education and fostering cultures of tolerance. There are examples in numerous contexts of educational institutions being hotbeds for radicalization and recruitment of children, a trend that must be countered.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Sexual violence against children, particularly in the context of armed conflict, continues to be of utmost concern. Such violations are exacerbated in conflict situations by the general security vacuum and the lack of administrative, law enforcement and judicial infrastructures, among other factors.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Sexual violence is often used to achieve military, political and social objectives through, for instance, the targeting of specific ethnicities or terrorizing populations to force displacement. Data indicate that children are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence in and around refugee and internally displaced population settings, and when they are directly associated with armed forces and groups. Child survivors of sexual violence suffer both physical and psychological consequences, which are often debilitating. This is particularly true for girls who have been raped or forced to "marry" combatants, as well as for their children born of rape.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Girls remain the main victims of sexual violence in armed conflict. However, there are increasing reports of sexual abuse committed against boys. This phenomenon is still not adequately understood, and is yet to be comprehensively addressed in advocacy, monitoring, reporting and response. Knowledge about sexual violence against boys continues to be thin, in part because boys are more reluctant to speak out about sexual violence and there is inherently a bias against questioning boys about such abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Another aspect that tends to be underestimated is the trauma boys face as perpetrators or witnesses of sexual violence. They may be forced to commit rapes either directly by their commander or indirectly through peer pressure. Many may be forced to witness sexual violence perpetrated by others. It should be noted that through the jurisprudence of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (1998, Furundzija case), forcing an individual to witness acts of rapes and other sexual violence is considered as sexual torture under international law.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- The previous reports of the Special Representative to the General Assembly emphasized the challenges of collecting data and reporting on sexual violence against children in armed conflict. Part of the problem lies in the fact that these acts are considered in many contexts as strong taboos, and as such survivors and communities are not encouraged to speak out. The lack of trust in judicial process and the fear of reprisals accentuate the culture of silence. Yet, more precise and comprehensive information, including details of incidents and the identity of perpetrators is a prerequisite to combating impunity and for more effective response programming. Monitoring, reporting and response to sexual violence requires both new perspectives and new methodologies, as well as more extensive partnerships across the United Nations system and beyond. For example, in the context of United Nations peacekeeping, collaboration between civilian components and United Nations military and police components may entail the matching of information on sexual violence with intelligence gathered on movements of armed parties, as a contribution to the identification of perpetrators, particularly in remote areas where humanitarian presence is thin. At the same time, more precise incident-related information must be complemented by macro-level information as it relates to the scope and trends of sexual violence. More timely and effective programming and dedication of sufficient resources depends on the deepening of all aspects of the information base on sexual violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, Security Council resolutions 1882 (2009) and 1888 (2009) challenge United Nations actors to put in place more rigorous monitoring and reporting mechanisms on sexual violence. Resolution 1882 (2009) advances monitoring practice by requiring the Secretary-General to list in his annual report on children and armed conflict parties who commit patterns of rape and other grave acts of sexual violence against children in contravention of international law. The Office of the Special Representative is in the process of developing templates, with the assistance of an international legal expert and former prosecutor of gender cases in the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, for action plans to ensure that parties that are listed will enter into agreements with the United Nations to prevent such violations, hold individuals accountable and take action to provide support to the victims.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Security Council resolution 1888 (2009) also breaks new ground through its establishment of a focused mandate of the Council dedicated to sexual violence in conflict. These developments have brought a new momentum to address this critical issue, and also represent new challenges in terms of coordinated action among a broad array of United Nations and civil society partners. Beyond the specific focus of the Council on addressing impunity of perpetrators of sexual violence, at the level of the General Assembly the new United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) has been established, with a broad mandate to coordinate the global efforts of the United Nations on gender-related issues as a whole.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Although these developments at the level of the General Assembly and Security Council represent critical and complementary advances, it is clear that action at the national level related to the prevention of and response to sexual violence is ultimately of paramount importance. Emphasis must be placed on the development and implementation of comprehensive national strategies to combat sexual violence, particularly in conflict situations and where children are more vulnerable. In this connection, United Nations organizations stand ready to provide technical support to national authorities in developing such strategies, and donors are encouraged to ensure that adequate resources are available for these efforts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeeping personnel and humanitarian workers remains a challenge and represents a crisis of credibility for the international community as a whole. Since the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report on such incidents, there has been an increase in the cases that have been reported, especially in the context of abuses in internally displaced person and refugee settings. The creation in 2002 of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Crises represents a step forward in enhancing protection measures. However, even greater commitment is required in implementation of accountability mechanisms and delivery of assistance to survivors. This is a collective responsibility of United Nations entities, regional organizations in the context of their peacekeeping engagements, NGOs and individual Member States in their capacity as troop-contributing countries.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- In the previous report of the Special Representative to the General Assembly, concerns related to internally displaced children were highlighted and the report included an annex specifying the rights and guarantees for this vulnerable group (A/64/254, annex I). The Assembly acknowledged the guarantees in its resolution 64/162 on the protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons. These rights and guarantees include the principle of non-discrimination, the right to documentation, protection from violence and abuse, the right to essential services, and the requirement that when dealing with internally displaced children the best interest of the child must prevail.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- A number of regional legal instruments also affirm the rights of internally displaced children, most notably the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (the Kampala Convention), which was adopted in October 2009. It includes specific provisions reaffirming the right of internally displaced persons to personal documentation, education, protection against recruitment and use in hostilities, kidnapping, abduction, sexual slavery and trafficking, and protection that addresses the special needs of separated and unaccompanied minors, as well as of mothers with young children. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child emphasizes the responsibility of States to ensure that internally displaced children receive appropriate protection and humanitarian assistance and pays special attention to the importance of reuniting families separated by displacement. Furthermore, the Council of Europe has adopted a number of recommendations concerning internal displacement, including the right of internally displaced children to education.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- The Office of the Special Representative continues to focus on this issue as a mandate priority, and in this regard is preparing a working paper stressing the particular vulnerabilities of displaced children and the responsibilities of Governments and other stakeholders in providing them with adequate and timely protection and services.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: Most people fleeing armed conflict do so within the borders of their own countries. They are unable or reluctant to leave their homelands and increasingly find countries of asylum less willing to accept them. Of the estimated 27.1 million people around the world today who have been forced to flee their homes due to armed conflict, and who remain within their countries as IDPs, at least half, and likely more, are children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- The changing nature of conflict also carries implications and new challenges for the reintegration and rehabilitation of children. The United Nations system has invested significant resources in forging common standards and practice around disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of children. This has contributed significantly to system-wide buy-in and coordination for this critical priority. A tension exists, however, between the need for standardized practice and programmes and the fact that children face very different realities depending on the context. For instance, in settings of protracted conflict, children may be associated with armed forces and groups for many years. Others are abducted across borders, which has raised new challenges for regional coordination among many entities for family tracing, repatriation and reunification. In some contexts, children are increasingly used in terrorist activities and in counter-terrorism actions. It is also clear that the mode and rhythm for funding child disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes is increasingly under pressure where structured dialogue with parties to conflict and implementation of action plans to release children have yielded unanticipated caseloads.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Such considerations beg the question of whether current disarmament, demobilization and reintegration approaches and programmes are adequate and reflective of the variety of contexts in which children are being recruited and used or the range of their experiences. Another question is whether reintegration programmes are flexible or adaptable enough to address an increasingly broad range of scenarios for children in conflict situations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: Children are disproportionately affected by internal displacement not only in terms of the numbers of those affected, but also in the risks that they face. It is important to recall the challenges faced by internally displaced children, as articulated by Graça Machel, in her 1996 landmark report to the General Assembly on the impact of armed conflict on children (A/51/306): “During flight from the dangers of conflict, families and children continue to be exposed to multiple physical dangers. They are threatened by sudden attacks, shelling, snipers and landmines, and must often walk for days with only limited quantities of water and food. Under such circumstances, children become acutely undernourished and prone to illness, and they are the first to die. Girls in flight are even more vulnerable than usual to sexual abuse. Children forced to flee on their own to ensure their survival are also at heightened risk. Many abandon home to avoid forced recruitment, only to find that being in flight still places them at risk of recruitment, especially if they have no documentation and travel without their families.”
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: Displacement is an especially destabilizing and traumatic experience for children as it exposes them to risks at a time in their lives when they most need protection and stability. Moreover, the difficult conditions that IDPs endure typically persist for years, even decades, without a solution. Worldwide, the average duration of displacement situations today is nearly 20 years, meaning that many children grow up only ever experiencing life as an IDP.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Such an examination of the premises for child disarmament, demobilization and reintegration could be undertaken in the context of the Paris Principles and Guidelines on Children associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, which provide guidance on the basis of lessons learned over the past 10 years. The Paris Principles also call, as appropriate, for thorough needs assessments and review and reformulation of reintegration programmes through broad consultation of all relevant stakeholders.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: On several of her missions in recent years, the Special Representative has witnessed the deeply distressing and precarious conditions of IDPs, the vast majority of whom are children and women. For instance, in November 2009, the Special Representative visited Sudan where she met with communities who were internally displaced. Many children have been displaced for years, with some of them having been born during displacement, while others were newly displaced in 2009 because of continuing armed violence. In these camps, the concerns include tensions caused by the presence of armed groups and the increase in incidents of gender-based violence. Due to lack of security, livelihoods and basic services, few internally displaced families manage to return to their place of origin. Further, during her last visit to Uganda in May – June 2010, the Special Representative spoke with victims of armed conflict and displacement in Gulu, northern Uganda, where many women and children were forced to flee in search of safety and livelihoods. Upon return to their villages, they faced multiple challenges, such as the absence of clean water, health care and education. Schools struggled with a lack of teachers, classrooms and teaching materials. Another major concern was the protection of children and young women against sexual and gender-based violence, caused by a frequent lack of rule of law in IDP return areas.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Those who continue to commit grave child rights violations do so in part because they see that there are few, if any, personal consequences for abusing children. This perception, which is reinforced by the continued lack of direct action against perpetrators, must be redressed. Essentially, the cost of committing grave violations against children must be made prohibitive in terms of the personal consequences for perpetrators.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- First and foremost, this requires commitment to action at the national level, through local legal and judicial infrastructure and on the basis of national legislation. In addition, such action should extend equally to Government functionaries or high-ranking members of armed forces where evidence of violations exists.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: The Special Representative therefore, continues to raise the key protection concerns for children displaced as a result of conflict, and to advocate for the rights and guarantees that should be accorded to every internally displaced child. These rights and guarantees were outlined in her reports to the General Assembly and Human Rights Council last year. Since then, the Office of the Special Representative has embarked, in consultation with the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF, and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, on producing a working paper drawing attention to the particular vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced in armed conflict, as well as to the responsibilities of governments and all other authorities to provide internally displaced children with the protection that they require, and to which they have a right. The objective of the working paper is to guide and support advocacy efforts, especially in relation to governments, as they bear primary responsibility for protecting, assisting and securing the rights of internally displaced children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: The rights of internally displaced children are expressly guaranteed and firmly entrenched in international humanitarian law and human rights law – the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. These instruments obligate State and non-State actors alike to protect children from the harmful effects of armed conflict, to prevent arbitrary displacement, to protect and assist persons who are displaced, and to facilitate durable solutions to displacement, paying special attention to the particular vulnerabilities and risks faced by internally displaced children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Beyond the national level, a central rationale and strategy for the engagement of the Security Council on the issue of children and armed conflict has been to hold perpetrators accountable under international law. The unique means of the Council to impose sanctions and other direct and targeted measures raises the stakes for perpetrators. Thus far, the Council has expressed its readiness to consider targeted measures against perpetrators of grave violations through its resolutions on children and armed conflict, including 1539 (2004), 1612 (2005) and 1882 (2009). Council resolution 1882 (2009) also establishes a linkage between the Security Council's children and armed conflict agenda and its sanctions committees.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: Regional legal instruments also affirm the main rights and guarantees provided for in international law and often elaborate upon them, including with express reference to internally displaced children. Most notably, the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention), adopted in October 2009, includes specific provisions reaffirming the right of IDPs to personal documentation, education, protection against recruitment and use in hostilities, kidnapping, abduction, sexual slavery and trafficking, and protection that addresses the special needs of separated and unaccompanied minors, as well as of mothers with young children. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child emphasizes the responsibility of States to ensure that IDP children “receive appropriate protection and humanitarian assistance” and pays special attention to the importance of reuniting families separated by displacement. The Council of Europe has adopted a number of recommendations concerning internal displacement, including as regards the right of internally displaced children to education.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo has taken the unprecedented step of requesting further information on grave violations against children, and for the first time invited the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to brief the Committee in May 2010. As a result, it is anticipated that several names of individuals may be included on the Committee's list of individuals and entities against whom targeted measures will be imposed on the basis of verified information regarding their recruitment and use of children. To date, such close consideration of violations against children has not extended to the work of the other country-specific sanctions committees, but it will be important to build on the precedent set in the context of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in this regard. Possibilities should also be explored for a similar focus on grave child rights violations by other thematic committees, including the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism. It is also important to consider ways by which sanctions may be imposed in contexts where there are no existing Security Council sanctions committees.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement also pay specific attention to the situation of internally displaced children. Although not a binding document, the Principles are based on and reflect existing standards of international law, which are binding. The authoritative nature of the Principles is further reinforced by their broad international acceptance; they have been recognized by States as “an important international framework for the protection of internally displaced persons,” as well as a “tool” and “standard” to guide governments, international organizations and all other relevant actors in situations of internal displacement.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- These explicit expressions of commitment by the Security Council to take measures against perpetrators represent a credible threat of action that has been the basis for negotiation with many parties to conflict for commitments and action plans to address the grave violations for which they have been cited. The lack of action against some of the most persistent and egregious violators over the years is increasingly conspicuous, however, and reflects on the overall credibility of the United Nations agenda for children and armed conflict and on Member States and the Council itself.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Even as it is understood that sanctions are a measure of last resort, it is evident that the viability of the children and armed conflict agenda in which Member States have invested so much over the past years depends on the imposition of such measures against those who continue to flout international law and standards for the protection of children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: The Guiding Principles assert that children, especially unaccompanied minors, as well as expectant mothers and mothers with young children, are “entitled to protection and assistance required by their condition and to treatment which takes into account their special needs” (Principle 4.2). The Principles also affirm the right of families to remain together and to be rapidly reunified (Principles 7 and 17); protection of children from sale into marriage, exploitation and forced labour (Principle 11); protection of children from recruitment or from taking part in hostilities (Principle 13); the right to documentation in their own names, including birth certificates (Principle 20); and the right to education, including the equal participation of girls (Principle 23).
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- It should be noted that the focus of international criminal justice and mixed tribunals specifically on crimes against children has also raised the stakes in the fight against impunity. The Special Court for Sierra Leone paved the way for sanctioning individuals for child-specific violations by including such crimes in the indictments of all the individuals charged by the Court. This includes former President of Liberia Charles Taylor on counts of recruitment and use of children. In addition, despite the challenges in the trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo by the International Criminal Court for recruiting and using children, that case has symbolized the will of the international community to act for children and as such has sent a powerful message to perpetrators. As this is the first case before the International Criminal Court on the issue of children and armed conflict, and having filed an amicus curiae, the Special Representative gave testimony before the Court on the need to adopt a case-by-case method in deciding on what constitutes enlistment and conscription in terms of the statute. The Special Representative urged an interpretation that would not exclude girl children, who play multiple roles in many groups, not only as combatants but as wives and domestic aides.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: States and all parties to conflict have obligations under international humanitarian and international human rights law to protect internally displaced children in all phases of displacement. The most fundamental of their rights is the right to life, dignity and physical, mental and moral integrity. Displacement almost inevitably entails severe threats to the right to life. Therefore, the physical safety of the affected population, particularly women and children, in zones of armed conflict should be the highest priority. Protected safe spaces for displaced children should be guaranteed - both for those seeking to escape imminent harm, as well as for those who have reached a place of safety such as an IDP camp but who continue to face security threats, or are at risk of further displacement. Children should also have access to the fullest extent and with the least possible delay to the humanitarian assistance they require, including food, potable water, shelter, health care and psychosocial services.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- It is the long-held position of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict and United Nations child protection partners that the international community must seek to engage all parties to conflict in dialogue for the purpose of eliciting concrete child protection commitments and to ensure that parties prepare and implement action plans to both prevent and address grave violations for which they have been cited. Such dialogue does not prejudge the legal status of non-state parties, nor does it confer legitimacy. The primacy and imperative to protect children must override political considerations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: The recruitment of children by the armed forces or armed groups and internal displacement are closely linked. Evidence suggests that refugee and IDP camps are often prime recruiting grounds for child soldiers, owing to the convenient concentration of vulnerable children. The lack of security around some camps increases the likelihood of child recruitment. Internally displaced children are also at increased risk of suffering from rape and other forms of sexual violence in the camps, or during flight, as they are preyed upon by soldiers, armed groups, traffickers, border guards and other opportunists. Governments are obligated to not only criminalize such acts but to hold those who perpetrate these violations accountable. Safe locations for camps and settlements in order to prevent incursions of armed groups and protect internally displaced children from sexual violence should be prioritized. And finally, measures to alleviate the social and economic factors that cause displacement in the first place, and that subsequently render children more vulnerable to recruitment, such as trafficking, forced labour and sexual and gender-based violence, should be given serious consideration.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: In situations of internal displacement, the freedom of movement of the affected population, including their right to move freely in and out of camps and settlements should be respected. For children, it entails the right to move freely with their family. Few threats to a child’s well-being equal that of being separated from his or her family during conflict, and for these children all possible action should be taken to prevent separation from their families and to ensure rapid reunification in the case of separation. To this end, displaced children, in particular separated and unaccompanied minors, should have their own identity documentation in order to enjoy their full legal rights and to have access to basic social services, such as health care and education.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- It should be noted that this is consistent with General Assembly resolution 64/146 on the rights of the child, which urges State and non-state actors to end grave violations against children by taking time-bound and concrete protection measures. This presupposes a possibility of dialogue between parties to conflict and protection actors to establish the modalities and verification of such measures.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: Ultimately, displacement should be a temporary condition and a durable solution should be secured where all those who were internally displaced no longer have any specific protection and assistance needs linked to their displacement and can enjoy their human rights without discrimination. States have a responsibility to create the conditions for a durable solution to displacement, either through voluntary return, integration or resettlement. The best interests of a child – determined through participatory, age-appropriate and gender-competent assessments – should always be the primary consideration when seeking a durable solution.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- The element of dialogue with parties to conflict for the preparation of time-bound action plans to address grave child rights violations represents one of the centrepieces of the United Nations agenda for children and armed conflict. In the past several years, numerous parties to conflict in places such as Côte d'Ivoire, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, the Sudan, Uganda and elsewhere, have begun to implement action plans that put in place measures to prevent child recruitment and to identify and release children already associated with their forces. As such practical action to address the issue of children associated with armed forces and groups has gained traction, credibility and momentum, the process is now under way to structure similar dialogue and action plans to address other violations, such as the killing and maiming of children and rape and other forms of sexual violence. For the children, this is where the promises of protection of the international community as expressed in international law and resolutions finally become tangible. As the primary duty bearers for the protection of children, Member States are encouraged to devise ways to enable child protection dialogue with State and non-state parties as necessary.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- In his report on the rule of law and transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict societies (S/2004/616), the Secretary-General defines transitional justice as the full range of processes and mechanisms associated with a society's attempts to come to terms with a legacy of large-scale past abuses, in order to ensure accountability, serve justice and achieve reconciliation. These may include both judicial and non-judicial mechanisms, with differing levels of international involvement (or none at all) and individual prosecutions, reparations, truth-seeking, institutional reform, vetting and dismissals, or a combination thereof. Given the deep impact of conflict on children, child protection actors have advocated for a comprehensive view of the involvement and participation of children in all aspects of transitional justice. To attempt transitional justice processes without involving children not only fails to comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child - the most universally ratified international instrument - it also compromises the outcome of those processes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- The imperative of child participation in transitional justice has gained both credence and clarity in past years. The importance and potential of transitional justice for children is evident. At the same time, it is more widely recognized that their views and experience provide unique and critical contributions to these processes and to national reconciliation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- In 2002, the indictment for grave violations against children of all the individuals charged by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, as well as the involvement of children in that country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, signified a shift that placed the issue of child participation centrally in the international discourse on justice and truth-seeking mechanisms. Since then there has been significant investment to create guidance and common perspectives on the basis of lessons learned and of best practices from Sierra Leone and elsewhere.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, the Innocenti Research Centre of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Human Rights Program of Harvard Law School convened a meeting of experts and practitioners in April 2009 to consult on new and emerging issues in the area of child rights and transitional justice. This forum led to the publication in March 2010 of Children and Transitional Justice: Truth-Telling, Accountability and Reconciliation. Critically, the publication outlines in an annex the key principles for children and transitional justice.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- The key principles consist of overarching considerations for children in transitional justice processes as a whole, as well as specific precepts as related to judicial mechanisms, truth commissions and truth-seeking mechanisms, local, traditional and restorative justice processes, reparations for children and institutional reform.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- The emphasis on institutional reform introduces a number of new issues such as the importance of working with educational experts and officials, the need to undertake legal reform and the urgency of creating economic opportunities for children and young people.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- The key principles also address the issue of the appropriate form of accountability for alleged child perpetrators, and alternatives to judicial proceedings for children. They highlight the issue that children may simultaneously be victims, witnesses and alleged perpetrators of violations, but stress that they must be viewed primarily as victims in all circumstances.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- The overarching considerations for the involvement of children in transitional justice processes are set out in the annex to the present report.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- Another priority and challenge is to ensure that a level of child protection expertise is maintained as peacekeeping operations are drawn down and restructured in transition to peacebuilding configurations. During that phase, it remains critical that the representatives of the Secretary-General retain adequate advisory capacity on child protection within their offices. In particular, child protection advisers will be responsible for ensuring ongoing monitoring and verification of child protection action plans with parties to conflict, as well as maintenance of the cycle of reporting to Member States on implementation of children and armed conflict resolutions and the recommendations of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which often remain relevant and in effect through the transition to post-conflict peace consolidation and peacebuilding.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Member States are urged to ensure that child protection concerns, including support for reintegration efforts and youth employment, are also explicitly reflected in relevant peacebuilding mandates and in the work of the Peacebuilding Commission through its country configurations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- Experience has shown that long-term sustainability of peace also depends on addressing specific needs of children in peace mediation processes and resultant agreements. Not to do so carries the risk of children ultimately becoming "spoilers" into the future.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative welcomes and appreciates the strengthened collaboration between her Office and the United Nations human rights system, and reiterates her continued support, including sharing regular information and advocating the protection of children affected by armed conflict. The Special Representative emphasizes that unless all parties to conflict adhere to their commitments, comply with their international obligations and are held accountable for non-compliance, the plight of children in situations of armed conflict risks deterioration. To this end, the Special Representative offers the following recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- One of the key challenges is to overturn the inclination, including of many mediators, that broader political considerations and dynamics may be adversely affected or compromised by child protection issues surfacing at negotiating tables. There is often a reticence to consider the protection of children as a "high line" priority on an equal footing with considerations of achieving or maintaining ceasefires, for instance. Yet, such issues as the immediate cessation of grave violations against children and the unconditional release of all children associated with fighting forces should be seen as fundamental to any ceasefire agreement. Continued violations such as child recruitment, or unwillingness to identify and release children already in fighting forces, must be formally stipulated as violations of ceasefire agreements by parties to a conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- State parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child are encouraged to strengthen national and international measures for the prevention of recruitment of children into the armed forces or armed groups and their use in hostilities. In particular, those measures include signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and enacting legislation that explicitly prohibits and criminalizes the recruitment of children into armed forces or groups and their use in hostilities; exercising extraterritorial jurisdiction in order to strengthen the international protection of children against recruitment; taking measures to implement the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child; and submitting timely reports to the Committee under the Optional Protocol.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Other specific issues that should be reflected as integral provisions of peace agreements themselves may include terms for child disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, care of internally displaced children, participation of children in transitional justice frameworks, and specific attention and resources for children in recovery and reconstruction phases.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- States are encouraged, to establish 18 as the minimum age for voluntary recruitment into armed forces when depositing their binding declaration (under article 3) upon ratification of the Optional Protocol. States which have ratified but not adopted the straight-18 policy are urged to reconsider their declarations in order to raise the minimum age to 18.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- In negotiation terms, the universal moral consensus on the protection of children should be viewed as a comparative advantage, a common point of agreement around which parties can be brought to the negotiating table, and a goodwill prerequisite for broader negotiations. It is imperative that children are not made to wait until peace is settled. Parties should be required to make child protection commitments at all stages of peace processes, whether a ceasefire or peace agreement is close or not.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- It is therefore a matter of practical consideration that the United Nations, as well as regional mediation infrastructures and initiatives, are committed to incorporating child protection perspectives and expertise. Child protection elements should be routinely included in guidance materials for mediators, in mediation training programmes and in development of mediation tools. This includes establishment of modalities for child protection actors to regularly collaborate with mediation support focal points and to brief the mediators themselves.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- In light of the fact that ratification and the implementation processes of the Optional Protocol place a clear resource burden on some States which are willing to ratify the instrument, leadership by one or more countries which have already ratified is encouraged, to provide both financial and technical assistance.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The international community is urged to continue to mobilize its energies towards: advocating unequivocally for 18 as the minimum age for recruitment and participation in hostilities; exerting international pressure on parties that continue to recruit and use children; monitoring and compelling adherence by parties to conflict to commitments made to protect children, and holding them accountable for failure to comply with international standards; addressing the political, social and economic factors that facilitate the recruitment and use of children; and responding to the rehabilitation and reintegration needs of former child soldiers.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- During the universal periodic review process, States are urged to systematically include in their recommendations to the State under review, specific references to any information from the monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children established in accordance with Security Council resolution 1612 (2005), as well as conclusions adopted by the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, as appropriate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Concluding observations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child on reports submitted by State parties under the Optional Protocol to the Convention should also be taken into consideration by the Working Group on the UPR when reviewing a State submission under the UPR process.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Recalling the recommendations of the 10-year strategic review of the Machel study, as presented to the General Assembly in the Report of the Special Representative (A/62/228), Member States, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and NGOs are urged to continue to reinforce efforts to ensure timely implementation of the range of protection and programmatic measures outlined in the recommendation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- As the end of the first UPR cycle is approaching, States should begin paying particular attention to the implementation of relevant recommendations by the Working Group on the UPR, with the assistance of the international community, wherever it is needed.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Member States which have not already done so are encouraged to sign and/or ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on involvement of children in armed conflict, to secure universal ratification of the Protocol by 2012. To facilitate the process, Member States with the capacity to do so are encouraged to take the lead at the regional level to advocate for ratification in the context of the regional organizations of which they are members.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- All special procedures mandate holders are urged to continue to take into account during their missions the challenges faced by children, as well as in their reports and recommendations, insofar as they are relevant to their respective mandates, and to bring those concerns to the attention of the Special Representative.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- In light of continued grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict, Member States are strongly urged to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators through national judicial processes, including high-ranking officials and members of the armed forces as necessary. Furthermore, at the international level Member States are encouraged to take action against persistent perpetrators through the imposition of sanctions and other targeted measures.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- The Human Rights Council is encouraged, when considering or adopting resolutions on country-specific situations or thematic issues, to include therein recommendations on, or references to, protection of children affected by armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Member States which bear a central and immediate political, legal and moral responsibility, should comply with international law for the protection of children within their territories. They should take strong and urgent action to bring to justice individuals responsible for the recruitment and use of children in the armed forces or armed groups, and their use in hostilities, in violation of applicable international law. They should also take action against other grave violations against children through national justice systems, including undertaking appropriate reforms of national legislation for the protection of children, in order to bring laws into line with international obligations, as well as strengthening child-protection capacity and training for the military, the police, and law enforcement and judiciary officials within national security sector reform efforts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- To address the scourge of sexual violence in conflict, Member States are strongly encouraged to prepare and implement, with the support of the United Nations, comprehensive national strategies on sexual violence that address accountability of perpetrators and programmatic response and services for survivors. Donors are urged to ensure that adequate funding is allocated to such initiatives.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Given the primacy of protecting children, Member States are urged to facilitate as necessary dialogue with all parties to a conflict for the exclusive purpose of eliciting concrete child protection commitments and action plans to address grave violations. Such dialogue is not intended to prejudge the legal status of non-state parties, nor does it confer legitimacy upon them.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Member States should continue to insist that parties listed in the annexes to the Secretary-General’s report for the recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming of children, and/or rape and other sexual violence against children, in contravention of applicable international law, prepare and implement concrete time-bound action plans to halt those violations and abuses, and to take measures against any parties that fail to comply.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- In view of the disturbing trend of civilian casualties, especially children, during the course of military operations, Member States are urged to ensure that national and multinational forces adopt standard operating procedures to mitigate the direct targeting or collateral death and injury of children. Regional and United Nations peacekeeping missions are also urged to support the development of such procedures. If support is given to national forces by international peacekeeping operations it must be on the condition that those forces have procedures in place for the protection of civilians.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- Lastly, States, which bear the primary duty and responsibility for addressing internal displacement should abide by their obligations under international law and adhere to the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. States should: safeguard populations on their territory from arbitrary displacement; protect and assist those who have been displaced; and support and facilitate voluntary, safe and dignified solutions to displacement, particularly those of their most vulnerable citizens – their children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- In the context of the global campaign for education in emergencies and in light of trends related to attacks in conflict situations against educational facilities, teachers and students, Member States, United Nations entities and civil society organizations are encouraged to take all measures necessary to promote and enforce the concept of schools as zones of peace. This should extend to the development of curricula with an emphasis on peace education and fostering cultures of tolerance.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- Member States are urged to continue to include child protection as a priority in the mandates of United Nations peacekeeping operations and political missions, and furthermore to ensure that key child protection responsibilities are specified as overall mission success criteria and performance benchmarks for which heads of mission are directly accountable.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- The Department of Peacekeeping Operations-Department of Field Support child protection policy directive is critical to ensuring that United Nations peacekeeping operations effectively implement child protection resolutions and other recommendations of Member States and its implementation should be further reinforced. The Department of Field Support is also encouraged to co-sign the directive to ensure consistent guidance to all United Nations peacekeeping operations and relevant special political missions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- The General Assembly, particularly in the context of the work of the Fifth Committee, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, should continue to support adequate budgetary provision for the deployment of child protection advisors to United Nations peacekeeping and political missions to ensure effective implementation of resolutions and mandates on child protection.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Member States are urged to ensure that child protection aspects are also explicitly reflected in relevant peacebuilding mandates and in the work of the Peacebuilding Commission through its country configurations, and that adequate provision is made for child protection expertise in peacebuilding missions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- Taking into account the changing nature of conflict and consequently the diverse experience and circumstances of children associated with armed forces and groups, key stakeholders, including UNICEF, other United Nations actors and child protection NGOs are encouraged to continue to review existing conceptual frameworks and programmes for child rehabilitation and reintegration with a view to rendering such interventions more timely, effective and sustainable.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Member States, bearing the primary duty and responsibility for addressing internal displacement, should abide by their obligations under international law and adhere to the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. This includes as provided for in the rights and guarantees for internally displaced children, safeguarding populations on their territory from arbitrary displacement; provision of protection and assistance to those who have been displaced; and supporting and facilitating voluntary, safe and dignified solutions to displacement, particularly as regards children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- Member States and relevant United Nations entities are urged to ensure that United Nations-led and regional mediation processes prioritize the protection of children at all stages of peace processes and that ceasefire and peace agreements include specific child protection provisions. Child protection elements should be routinely included in guidance materials for mediators, in mediation training programmes and in development of mediation tools, and modalities should be established for regular briefings and exchange between child protection actors and mediators and mediation support focal points.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- In view of continued concerns regarding the detention of children, Member States are urged to ensure that such measures are in line with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice, and emphasis should be placed on alternatives to institutionalization of children and on non-judicial and restorative processes. Child protection actors should also have access to any children detained by multinational forces.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative brings to the attention of Member States the key principles for child protection and participation in transitional justice and the overarching considerations in this regard as outlined in the annex to the present report, and encourages all relevant stakeholders to endorse and implement those principles. The Special Representative supports the call for the development of common minimum standards on children and transitional justice.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Since the previous report of the Special Representative submitted to the Human Rights Council, the child protection commitments made by the Government of Nepal and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army have been translated into concrete actions by these parties. New action plans to cease recruitment and use of children as well as to secure their release were signed by the United Nations and the Sudan Liberation Army/SLA-Free Will on 14 June 2010; the Sudan Liberation army/SLA-Mother Wing (Abu Gasim) on 15 August 2010; and the Government of Afghanistan on 30 January 2011, respectively.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- In addition, in November 2010, during the visit of the Special Representative, the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia committed to work towards an action plan to release girls and boys within the ranks of the Government forces and allied militias. In Myanmar, action plan negotiations between the Government and the United Nations to end the recruitment and use of children in the Tatmadaw Kyi are ongoing. In the Sudan, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the Justice and Equality Movement and the United Nations on 21 July 2010, paving the way towards the signing of an action plan. On 22 December 2010, JEM/Peace Wing submitted a draft action plan to the United Nations, to be implemented in West Darfur. In Chad, some 1,000 children were released by 12 armed opposition groups during the reporting period. In April 2011, the Government of Chad prepared an action plan to address the recruitment and use of children by the Armée nationale tchadienne, which is ready for signature with the United Nations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Since the previous report of the Special Representative, close to 10,000 children associated with armed groups have been released as a result of efforts on the ground, including agreements on actions plans for the release of children signed by the United Nations and parties to conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Despite the progress made, however, significant challenges in addressing grave violations against children remain. In several countries, such as in the Central African Republic, Somalia and the Sudan, access constraints for security reasons hamper the systematic monitoring and reporting of grave violations. In addition, information gathering is challenged by underreporting of grave violations, particularly in the case of sexual violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Dialogue between the United Nations and non-State armed groups for the development of action plans has been delayed in some cases for a variety of reasons, including lack of access to armed groups and of political will, fragmentation within armed groups or the inability to identify and hold groups accountable for violations committed. Countries affected by these constraints include Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines, Somalia, the Sudan and Yemen.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- In some cases, such as in the Sudan and the Philippines, the implementation of action plans has been delayed owing to lack of funding. In places such as the Central African Republic, the Philippines, Darfur and South Sudan, children are associated with armed groups having close links to the local community, which complicates their formal release.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- The reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces and groups continues to be hampered by the lack of economic opportunities in already poor regions and insufficient long-term funding, such as is the Philippines. In many countries, ongoing fighting and insecurity make children vulnerable to re-recruitment and limit the access of actors delivering reintegration support. Inadequate sequencing between the implementation of an action plan on the one hand, and the rate of funding for reintegration of children on the other, may lead to instances where reintegration programmes are not able to absorb the caseload created by the successful implementation of an action plan. The establishment of regional coordination mechanisms to respond to reunification and reintegration of children abducted across borders, in particular by the Lord’s Resistance Army, presents an additional challenge.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- With regard to attacks on schools and hospitals, limited knowledge of international humanitarian law by parties to conflict, insufficient implementation of the law’s provisions and limited insight into the different country contexts in which violations occur still hamper the design of clear strategies to address such violations. The case of the military use of schools exemplifies the complexity of the issue; although strictly speaking not a violation of international humanitarian law, the military occupation of schools clearly impedes children’s access to education and puts them at risk. Further complicating the issue are cases where the military provide security to a school at the school’s request, and there is collocation between children and military in the same school, or even partial occupation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Of growing concern is the use of children — sometimes unbeknownst to them — to carry or wear explosives. The reporting period has seen a steady increase in the number of girls and boys being used by armed groups for such purposes. These children, sometimes as young as eight, are often unaware of the actions or consequences of the acts they are instigated to commit. Such acts often lead to their own death and the killing of civilians, including other children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- An emerging concern is the detention of children for alleged association with armed groups or other threats to security in several conflict scenarios. An unknown number of children have been captured, arrested and detained by security and law enforcement forces in contravention of international standards for juvenile justice. Children’s access to justice in conflict and post-conflict settings is hampered by the fact that the infrastructure of judicial systems is often inadequate or non-existent. Targeted measures by the Security Council and the establishment of the International Criminal Court are steps towards mitigating the impunity of perpetrators of grave child rights violations; they cannot, however, replace the delivery of national justice.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Little is known of the strategies used by armed actors to access children for these acts of violence. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that families are forced to hand over their children to take part in these actions, and there have also been cases of poor families being induced by armed groups to give their children away, through the promise of money. The use of very young children and/or disabled children for such acts is also a horrifying trend of grave concern. There is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap and to reach a better understanding of how these acts could be prevented. Concomitantly, there is a need to better address the stigmatization of, and prejudice against, children suspected of collaboration with armed actors, which lead to other violations including beatings, threats to children and their families, acts tantamount to torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions. In this context, particular attention must be given to young children, girls and disabled children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- In contemporary armed conflicts, children are increasingly the subject of targeted attacks, sexual violence and military recruitment. Many are forced to witness or even to take part in horrifying acts of violence. As a result, it is often difficult to assess whether a child is a victim or a perpetrator; depending on the child’s age and maturity and the forced nature of involvement, it may be both. Hence, in the search for justice for serious violations committed during armed conflict, children are often involved in justice processes in two different and opposite ways: on the one hand, children who have suffered grave violations seek justice for the violations of their rights; on the other, children having been forced by adults to perpetrate heinous crimes are being held accountable for their acts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- In her last report, the Special Representative emphasized the risks for children during the course of military operations and the need to put in place specific policies and procedures, including tactical directives and standard operating procedures, in order to uphold international humanitarian law and prevent violations against children. New instruments of war, including the use of new technologies, the absence of clear battlefields and identifiable opponents have led to greater risks to children during military operations. The use of aerial attacks, including by drone, and night raids should be reviewed as a matter of priority by all armed actors, in order to minimize incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- [What is “justice” for children?]The ability of children to have access to justice is seen as a vital part of the mandate of the United Nations to reduce poverty and fulfil children’s rights. A clear definition of what constitutes “access to justice” cannot be found in international instruments. According to the United Nations Development Programme, access to justice can be defined as “the ability of people to seek and obtain a remedy through formal or informal institutions of justice, and in conformity with human rights standards”. The Common Approach to Justice for Children, as explained by the United Nations Children’s Fund in 2008, expands on this definition: “Access to justice can be defined as the ability to obtain a just and timely remedy for violations of rights as put forth in national and international norms and standards [...] Proper access to justice requires legal empowerment of all children: all should be enabled to claim their rights, through legal and other services such as child rights education or advice and support from knowledgeable adults.”
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- [What is “justice” for children?]Reports and research undertaken with children who are victims of armed conflict all find that child victims want perpetrators of grave violations to be held accountable, particularly when they continue to live in the same community. For children, however, justice includes far more than punishing a perpetrator. Even more important to them is the restoration of their rights, especially their socioeconomic rights, and concrete acts of compensation and reparation to address the loss of those rights.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- The safety and security of children is critical to the legitimacy and credibility of any military activity. This is even more important in the context of peacekeeping or stabilization operations, where consent for the foreign presence is paramount to the success of the mission. The rules of engagement of armed forces must stipulate the protection of civilians as a foremost consideration in military operations, including in the context of counter-insurgency activities. The principles of proportionality and distinction must be upheld in today’s conflict settings by all armed actors; it is only through respect for these principles that the victimization of children can be avoided.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative reiterates her call for the development of directives and standard operating procedures to ensure that military operations are conducted in conformity with applicable international humanitarian law and safeguard the protection of civilians, including children. During the reporting period, standard operating procedures have been developed by the Ugandan army, with the support of the Office of the Special Representative, to ensure the protection of children captured by, or in the custody of, the armed forces during operations against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The Special Representative reiterates her call to all relevant military actors, including armed forces, multinational forces and peacekeeping operations, to implement as a matter of priority the minimum set of measures highlighted in the annex to the present report.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- [Children as victims and witnesses]: Access to justice for victims and witnesses in conflict and post-conflict situations is achieved through judicial and non-judicial justice mechanisms. International crimes are generally punishable in national courts, but in many countries where there has been armed conflict, the infrastructure of the judicial system is often either virtually non-existent or inadequate. Recognizing this, and in order to put an end to a culture of impunity, the international community has over the past 20 years set up new accountability mechanisms, such as ad hoc tribunals, hybrid courts, human rights panels and truth and reconciliation commissions. Children are increasingly playing a role in these mechanisms, as victims and, in some cases, as witnesses.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- States are increasingly arresting and detaining children for alleged association with armed groups. Children who are captured and placed in detention are sometimes kept in conditions which do not meet the minimum standards set out in various international legal instruments.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- [Children as victims and witnesses]: With the establishment of the International Criminal Court, it is likely that more children will participate as witnesses in legal proceedings against the violators of their rights. The Rome Statute establishing the Court requires that it “take appropriate measures to protect the safety, physical and psychological well-being, dignity and privacy of victims and witnesses”, and “have regard to all relevant factors, including age, gender [...] and health, and the nature of the crime, in particular, but not limited to, where the crime involves sexual or gender-based violence against children.” Victims and witnesses units in charge of short- and long-term protective measures and security arrangements, as well as medical and psychological support, have become an established practice in international and national courts. Special protection measures can be requested to assist a child giving evidence. However, it is not always in the best interest of child witnesses of serious violations of human rights or international humanitarian law to give evidence in a court. In some cases, it may result in grave psychological trauma and illness or renewal of despair, depression or even suicidal tendencies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- [Children as victims and witnesses]: For a range of reasons, only a small proportion of children who have suffered harm in armed conflict are likely to be called as witnesses in trials heard by the International Criminal Court. For many children, non-judicial mechanisms may provide a better opportunity to have their voices heard and to have the wrongs done to them recorded. The general view is that non-judicial mechanisms can provide more immediate accountability, enable community reconciliation, provide reparation for losses and damages, and allow children to move on with their lives. Nevertheless, there are significant challenges to the effective participation of children, such as the limits and focus of the mandate, the financial and human resources available, the expectations raised and disappointment with outcomes, and the need to secure long-term political support.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- In some situations, States place children in administrative detention, rather than charging them with a criminal offence and bringing them before a court. These children are often detained for long periods without being granted access to a lawyer and without other legal safeguards being applied. Evidence abounds that, when deprived of their liberty, children are particularly vulnerable to human rights abuses, including degrading and inhuman treatment and/or acts tantamount to torture.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- [Children as victims and witnesses]: In some countries, traditional justice mechanisms are commonly used to resolve disputes and feuds between families and clans and to bring about settlement and reconciliation. For many children in these countries, traditional justice may be the only readily accessible form of justice, meaningful to their families and communities. As with all other forms of justice, however, there are limitations, particularly in the aftermath of armed conflict. Traditional justice relies on oral tradition and customary practice, which can be lost as a result of displacement, dissipation of collective memory and loss of traditional authority in times of breakdown of social structures. In addition, traditional authority often resides with the elder males of the community. This patriarchal structure does not always take into account or reflect children’s rights, and especially the rights of girls and their need for protection.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- In other situations, States charge children for allegedly having committed acts during their association with an armed group that are regarded as crimes under national or international law. These children sometimes languish in prolonged pretrial detention without access to legal assistance. In addition, trials before national courts or military tribunals do not generally apply juvenile justice standards and due process safeguards. As a result, children are frequently tried without legal representation or assistance, are not accompanied by their parents or a legal guardian and do not have a clear understanding of the charges brought against them.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- [Accountability of children involved in armed conflict]: Although the general view is that children who are associated with an armed force or armed group should not be prosecuted but rather be treated primarily as victims, some children may, nevertheless, be detained and face prosecution before a national court. When determining whether to prosecute children, States should take into account the Principles and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Groups, which stipulate that the purpose of any sanction imposed on a child accused of international crimes committed during association with armed groups should be to promote the child’s rehabilitation and reintegration into the community, not to punish it. Prosecution of children for crimes arising from active participation in hostilities in a criminal court should be a matter of last resort.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Given the often forced nature of their association with armed groups, and considering their age, children should be treated primarily as victims, not as perpetrators. Emphasis should be placed on prosecuting individuals based on the concept of command responsibility. States should also prosecute adult recruiters and commanders not only for the crime of child recruitment, but also for other crimes they may have forced children to commit.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- The detention and prosecution of children for crimes arising from active participation in hostilities should always be a measure of last resort. Many children who are charged with such crimes may themselves have been forced or enticed to join armed groups. During their association with an armed group, children are often abused, beaten, exploited and manipulated by commanders to commit criminal acts, ranging from minor security offences to war crimes. Although the need for some form of formal accountability is acknowledged, diversion from the judicial system is more suitable for children. Alternatives that take the best interest of the child into consideration and promote the reintegration of the child into his or her family and community include non-judicial mechanisms such as restorative justice measures, truth-telling, traditional healing ceremonies and reintegration programmes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- [Accountability of children involved in armed conflict]: Placing children in detention without access to the important procedural safeguards and guarantees to which they are entitled in international human rights law can expose children to human rights abuses. The international framework on juvenile justice provides a very detailed set of standards that are applicable to children who are deprived of their liberty. According to article 37(c) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, every child deprived of liberty should be treated with humanity and respect for inherent dignity of the human person and in a manner that takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age. All disciplinary measures involving cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, including corporal punishment, placement in a dark cell, closed or solitary confinement or any other punishment that may compromise the physical or mental health of the child, are strictly prohibited. In addition, children should always be kept separately from adult prisoners, and detention should last for the shortest period possible.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child requires that States seek alternatives to judicial proceedings for children at the national level and that any solution needs to take into account “the child’s assuming of a constructive role in society.” For children, understanding and acknowledging a past wrongdoing plays a crucial role in their psychosocial development and reintegration process. Accountability based on restorative approaches contributes to a child’s rehabilitation and reconciliation with his or her community.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- [Accountability of children involved in armed conflict]: In a number of countries, truth and reconciliation commissions have been put in place as an alternative to prosecution and judicial trial for children accused of committing international crimes. Any such commission needs to take into consideration the prevailing view that child soldiers should be regarded primarily as victims rather than as perpetrators, and that the child’s best interests should be the primary concern. This does not mean that atrocities committed by child soldiers should be ignored or that the truth about their acts should not be established. However, commissions operate at their best for children when the purpose is to establish the truth rather than to make a finding of guilt or responsibility on the part of the child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The Office of the Special Representative is finalizing a working paper which will explore the issue of the responsibility and accountability of children who have committed criminal acts during armed conflict and the alternatives that can be used to assist children in reintegrating into society. The purpose will be to bring conceptual clarity to the issue by examining the international legal framework related to the detention of children; the treatment and rights of children in detention; and the protection of children who are subject to prosecution and trial. It will also discuss other, non-judicial justice mechanisms with more rehabilitative functions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- [Accountability of children involved in armed conflict]: Reintegration is a key post-conflict process for children formerly associated with armed groups or armed forces. Its objective is to contribute to security and stability in post-conflict environments so that recovery and development can begin. It is regarded as a more child-friendly mechanism for addressing children’s participation in hostilities than prosecution. The process of reintegration and the approach taken are necessarily different for children and adults. It has been suggested that child disarmament, demobilization and reintegration measures should target the entire community rather than just former combatants. Mixing different categories of children may actually be beneficial to their social reintegration, and difficulties or tensions between groups of children may be overcome.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- [Accountability of children involved in armed conflict]: Traditional justice, aimed at the reintegration of child soldiers, can make a significant contribution to healing, recovery and reintegration. It may employ an array of measures, such as punishment, reparation, truth-telling, involving confession and absolution, and healing or cleansing ceremonies. Traditional justice can be most helpful in assisting reintegration where it focuses on re-establishing the child as a member of the community rather than relying upon punishment or public shaming. Restorative justice is very often the only way of bringing reconciliation to victims and perpetrators alike in a war-torn society where victims of offences suffer, as do child perpetrators, having been forced to commit offences.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- In recent years, at the request of Governments or the Security Council, United Nations bodies have played an increasing role in assisting national actors in their efforts to develop accountable and effective security institutions on the basis of non-discrimination, respect for human rights and the rule of law. Support has ranged from facilitating discussions on security arrangements as part of wider negotiations between parties to a prospective peace agreement, to technical advice on and/or support for the implementation of security sector reform plans. In this context, child protection considerations are central to efforts to build rights-based, accountable security systems.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- [Attacks on schools and hospitals: an emerging concern]: Attacks on schools and hospitals in armed conflict are widespread and are of increasing concern. Out of 22 country situations reported in the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (A/65/820-S/2011/250), 15 referred to attacks on schools and hospitals. Apart from the direct and physical damage to schools and hospitals, incidents of closure of schools and hospitals as a result of threats and intimidation, as well as the military use of these civilian institutions, have been documented. In addition, schools are often used as recruiting grounds for children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The security needs of marginalized or socially excluded groups, particularly those of children and women, should be taken into account when developing plans for security sector reform. Security institutions should integrate the protection of children as a priority area of their mandates; threats to children have often been overlooked, resulting in the exposure of children to grave violations, both in conflict and peacetime. In countries such as the Sudan and South Sudan, the establishment of specialized child protection units in the armed forces has gone a long way to ensuring timely response to cases of violations against children and has helped raise awareness of child rights and welfare among the security forces more widely. Such positive initiatives should be replicated elsewhere. In addition, in order to prevent mobilization of children, recruitment protocols must ensure rigorous age verification: civil registry records, when incomplete or inaccurate, must be supplemented by other procedures to ascertain age.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- [Attacks on schools and hospitals: an emerging concern]: Armed conflict can either directly or indirectly result in the forced closure or the compromised functioning of civilian facilities. Children, teachers and health-care providers can be subject to direct threats and acts of intimidation by parties, which, for example, target Government institutions or medical personnel assisting the other party to the conflict. In other situations, armed elements are opposed to secular and/or girls’ education, or to girls being seen by male medical personnel. The delivery of health-care services to children is also heavily affected by lack of supplies and manpower caused by looting of the facilities and/or access constraints. A general climate of fear and insecurity as a result of armed hostilities can also prevent children, teachers and medical personnel from attending school or seeking medical help. Parents, for example, may find it too risky to send their children to school in a volatile security situation, or children may be denied timely access to hospitals because of checkpoints and roadblocks.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Where armed forces and groups are merged, or demobilized and reintegrated as part of a peace agreement, there is a need to ensure, as a first step in any security sector reform process, that children who may be associated with the parties are separated. The initial stage in such situations is often the registration of combatants. Measures must be systematically put in place to effect age verification or, where reliable State-managed data on birth dates are not available, to establish a solid method of for age determination. However, separating children from armed forces and groups should not be dependent on security sector reform plans. Recruitment and use of children in armed conflict is a violation of international law; there is a normative imperative for children to be identified and separated, inter alia in the context of the action plans mentioned earlier.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- [Attacks on schools and hospitals: an emerging concern]: Military control and use of school facilities also endangers children. The Office of the Special Representative will advocate with parties, urging them to take all precautionary measures not to endanger the life of civilians and civilian objects in the vicinity of military objectives. Extreme caution should also be exercised in identifying objects normally dedicated to civilian purposes as military targets. In armed conflict situations, the use of schools as polling stations may put the physical integrity of such facilities at risk, as some armed groups see these civilian institutions as legitimate targets of attack. The Office of the Special Representative will further continue to advocate with Governments for the adoption of precautionary measures that avoid jeopardizing school facilities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Awareness-raising and training on child protection is critical to strengthening accountability and respect for human rights within the security forces. Such training must be administered to all actors in the security sector and should cover the international and national normative framework and its application, as well as the care and treatment of children in conflict with the law.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- [Attacks on schools and hospitals: an emerging concern]: The abduction of educational and medical personnel is also of grave concern to the children and armed conflict agenda, as it severely affects the provision of basic services to children. The Office of the Special Representative is concerned at the use of schools as recruiting grounds for children with the aim of involving them in armed hostilities and military operations. Schools should be considered safe havens protecting children from involvement in armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Ultimately, ensuring that security institutions uphold and practice child protection is a long-term endeavour, requiring dedicated and focused efforts on the part of national actors: the Government, legislative bodies, the judiciary and civil society. It is through a partnership between national actors, with international support, that child protection can be mainstreamed into the security sector.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In her previous reports, the Special Representative has consistently noted with concern the increasing trend of attacks on education. Such acts include the partial or total destruction of schools and other education facilities and threatened or actual targeting of education personnel. Attacks on education undermine the establishment of a protective environment for children and their chances for a better future. In addition, violent attacks on girls and targeted attacks on their education undermine their role in society and prevent them from exercising their rights.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- The reporting period has seen progress in terms of protective measures for education and the rights of children to education. Greater international attention led to the creation in 2010 of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, composed of United Nations agencies and NGOs. It has helped prevent attacks on education; develop effective response to attacks; improve knowledge, monitoring and reporting; and advocate for international norms and standards and increased accountability. In March 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published an innovative report highlighting the impact of armed conflict on education. The Special Representative welcomes these initiatives and looks forward to working closely with the Global Coalition, UNESCO and other concerned partners to enhance protection from attacks on education.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Following the adoption by the General Assembly of its groundbreaking resolution 64/290 on the right to education in emergency situations, the Security Council also strengthened its efforts on this matter. In July 2011, the Security Council adopted resolution 1998 (2011), expanding the listing in the annexes to the annual reports of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict to perpetrators of recurrent attacks against schools and recurrent attacks or threats of attacks against protected personnel in relation to such facilities. The Special Representative commends the focused attention of the General Assembly and the Security Council on the right of children to access education and urges Member States, together with other child protection partners, to implement the decisions of both bodies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- With the flow of civilians and combatants across borders, the regional aspects of conflicts have brought new challenges to the safety, security and protection of children. The activities across borders by armed groups such as the LRA, operating over vast stretches of the central African hinterland, have proven difficult to follow, and as a result the threat posed by them has been concomitantly difficult to contain. Two aspects are worthy of note with regard to the operational response to the challenges posed by cross-border threats.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- First, there is a need to ensure a well-coordinated monitoring and reporting mechanism, which is able to pull the various country-specific strands of information together in order to develop a comprehensive view of the trends and patterns of violations perpetrated by armed groups. This is critical in order to ensure that appropriate practical measures are taken to protect civilians in affected areas. For instance, during the reporting period, with the support of the Office of the Special Representative, UNICEF enhanced its capacity to facilitate coordination and information-sharing on LRA between child protection teams in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sudan and Uganda.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Secondly, the reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces and groups often involves a repatriation component, where the child, operating alongside the armed force or group on foreign soil, returns to his or her country of origin for reintegration into civilian life. In such cases, close contact and coordination between national authorities and child protection partners is essential.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- Efforts to end violations and abuses against children during conflict must stem from a thorough understanding of the structural causes of conflict and the circumstances that give rise to these violations and abuses. Poverty, discrimination, environmental degradation, social and economic marginalization and inequity are some of the factors that create the conditions for children to be associated with armed forces or groups, forcibly or voluntarily.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Research has demonstrated a strong correlation between poverty and violent conflict, as well as between violent conflict and poor human development indicators. Millennium Development Goal indicators reveal that countries in situations of armed conflict account for one third of those living in extreme poverty, half of the children with no access to primary education and half of the children who die before their fifth birthday. While not all poor children in conflict situations become soldiers, poverty is an important motivating factor for children to join armed forces and groups. In some areas, poverty means a lack of access to education and other basic social services and few opportunities for employment and income generation. Children, often with the encouragement of parents and the incitement of armed actors, become combatants in the hope that they will be well fed, housed and protected.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Perceptions of discrimination, social injustice, political exclusion and economic disparity are often motivating factors for children to join armed groups. Compounded with collective identity, defined often in ethnic, regional or religious terms, these perceptions become potent mobilizers of communities, including children. Loyalty to the group sometimes becomes a bargaining tool for armed groups, and members of the community are called upon to play their part and contribute their children to the struggle. Children are susceptible to these demands, not only as a result of social pressure or a sense of obligation, but also as a consequence of personal injustices suffered. When crimes against children are committed with impunity, many join armed groups motivated by a desire for revenge.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- The weak writ of the State, particularly in peripheral areas, is another contributing factor to conflict and has played a role in exposing children to violence. Where the State is challenged in its ability to provide security, deliver basic social services, adjudicate on grievances and facilitate economic activity, local communities turn to alternative forms of authority. Traditional governance structures and/or justice mechanisms, may take precedence over weak statutory institutions. However, traditional governance structures are often not underpinned by the normative standards and protection mechanisms facilitated by the State. Where conflict is occurring, local communities also often form self-defence groups and frequently enlist young children in the community to fight and defend them against external threats.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- In some societies, protracted violent conflict becomes an end in itself, with a political economy driven by the logic of economic gain and political compromise. In such contexts, children are socialized to accept war as the norm, not the exception, and to seek advancement in the structures it creates. Military commanders become role models for children and the military ethos becomes part of everyday life. Joining an armed group may facilitate social mobility, with access to resources and the ability to wield power and influence in the territory under the control of the armed group. In such situations of chronic conflict, joining an armed group may be seen by children as a legitimate avenue of advancement in a society that offers them few other options.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- The above are some of the key factors which create an environment that is conducive to children being caught up in conflict. Without addressing the conditions which create conflict at the strategic level, children will continue to be victimized by armed conflict. In this regard, as called for by the General Assembly in its resolution 63/241, States must “enhance complementarity and coordination of national policies and strategies related to security, development, human rights and humanitarian issues, with a view to addressing the short-, medium- and long-term impact of armed conflict on children in an effective, sustainable and comprehensive manner”. The United Nations system and the international community more widely must support the efforts of Governments in building societies that are resilient during conflict, including by contributing to economic development and equity, while supporting initiatives to strengthen social justice and accountability.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- At the strategic level, clearly the most effective way of protecting children from the scourge of war is by mitigating the outbreak of armed conflict. Conflict prevention means addressing the root causes of violence and promoting sustainable and equitable human development. As identified in the Machel study and the 2007 10-year review of that study (see A/62/228), sustainable conflict prevention and peacebuilding require going beyond political settlements and strengthening the key vectors of peace, including good governance; the creation of an accountable, legitimate and rule-based security sector; an independent and effective judicial system; the delivery of basic social services; and the creation of an economic environment conducive to employment and wealth creation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Studies suggest that there is a strong correlation between a disproportionately large youth population and civil strife. While demographics alone do not instigate conflict, systematically engaging and targeting young people as the beneficiaries of development programmes, particularly in countries with a youth bulge, could mitigate the risk. The need to promote youth employment and the development of skills among young people during peacetime and in post-conflict periods must be an important component of reconstruction and development strategies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- The above are broad and long-term measures that States affected by conflict must address progressively, with the sustained support of the international community. A number of more direct protective steps may be taken by national actors, with international support. During conflict, the creation of child protection networks may assist in helping communities to better protect their children. These networks alert the community to threats or violations and can help develop a community-based response to the consequences of violence. They can also help prevent abuses by raising awareness and forging linkages with entities that can provide protection. Being able to rely on a network of support makes children feel more secure and provides a mechanism for assistance when violations or abuses are committed against them.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- At the start of any conflict, community leaders should be persuaded to make a special effort to negotiate with parties to ensure that schools are designated as “zones of peace” and are not the targets of attacks or use by military forces or armed groups. In this way, children will be free to pursue their education without abuse or violence. Community-based action to protect schools is another way in which to ensure that children are safe. Maintaining a degree of normalcy in the lives of children during conflict, through the continuation of schooling, sustains their development, while protecting them from recruitment by armed actors.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative expresses her appreciation for the strengthened collaboration between her Office and the United Nations human rights system, and reiterates her continued support, including through regular information-sharing and advocating for the protection of children affected by armed conflict. The Special Representative wishes to reiterate that, unless all parties to conflict adhere to their commitments, comply with their international obligations and are held accountable for non-compliance, there will be no improvement in the situation of children in armed conflict. To this end, the Special Representative makes the recommendations below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- Since the 1996 Machel study, the international community has made significant progress in strengthening the legal framework for the protection of children in armed conflict and in bringing perpetrators to justice. Violations against children have been addressed by the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda and the Special Court for Sierra Leone. These international and hybrid courts, along with mixed chambers such as those established in Bosnia and Herzegovina, have been critical in complementing national justice mechanisms in addressing crimes against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative encourages State parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to strengthen national and international measures for the prevention of recruitment of children into the armed forces or armed groups and their use in hostilities. In particular, those measures include signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict and enacting legislation that explicitly prohibits and criminalizes the recruitment of children into armed forces or groups and their use in hostilities; exercising extraterritorial jurisdiction in order to strengthen the international protection of children against recruitment; establishing mechanisms to identify children, including asylum-seeking and refugee children, who have been or may have been recruited or used in hostilities; providing such children with the necessary assistance, including psychological and psychological rehabilitation and social integration; and prohibiting the export of arms to countries where children are recruited or used in hostilities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- It must be emphasized that international efforts alone cannot achieve durable results in the fight against impunity. Sustained accountability for crimes committed can only be reached through the ownership of the people and justice system of the nation concerned, in conformity with international standards. In societies emerging from conflict, where State institutions and the social fabric have been weakened by war, the international community has an important role to play in supporting national efforts to strengthen the justice sector and the rule of law more broadly. Developing the capacity of societies to deal with violations through an effective justice system is the only way to ensure that justice will be sustainable.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- State parties to the Convention and to the Optional Protocol are called upon to implement the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and to submit timely reports to the Committee under the Optional Protocol. To this end, State parties are encouraged to establish effective inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms with a view to ensure comprehensive measures to prevent and protect children from offences under the Optional Protocol.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The international community should also support reparations mechanisms in countries emerging from armed conflict. Reparations are a way of providing social justice in post-conflict societies, and are an effective additional accountability mechanism. This is particularly the case in areas where access to justice and redress through the courts is difficult or not possible because of a weak judicial system or a lack of confidence in the judiciary, where the identity of perpetrators are unknown, or where, for political reasons, perpetrators of human rights abuses are exempted from judicial accountability processes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- In its resolution 64/146, the General Assembly called on States and other parties to armed conflict that engage in violations and abuses against children in contravention of applicable international law to take time-bound and effective measures to end such practices. The delivery of protection and assistance to child victims of violations and abuses in armed conflict by States, together with United Nations entities, civil society and regional organizations, necessitates a dialogue among all partners involved, in order to ensure coordination and the establishment of appropriate response mechanisms. Partnerships with Governments are critical in ending grave violations against children. In this regard, inter-ministerial committees composed of relevant Government entities can serve as effective forums for coordination and dialogue with United Nations counterparts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- States are encouraged to establish 18 years as the minimum age for voluntary recruitment into armed forces when depositing their binding declaration upon ratification of the Optional Protocol. States that have ratified but not adopted the “straight-18 position” are urged to reconsider their declarations and to raise the minimum age to 18 years.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Where relevant and possible, dialogue with non-State actors may take place in the context of peace processes. However, working closely with the relevant Governments, dialogue on the establishment of time-bound and effective measures to protect child victims — including action plans to halt particular violations — should be explored regardless of the status of political discussions. Contexts vary and experience has shown that innovation is a key ingredient for effective protection measures to be put in place. In the absence of a peace process Governments, as the primary duty-bearers for the protection of children, should work in partnership with the United Nations to ensure that time-bound and effective measures, including action plans, are put in place by all parties.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- In the light of the fact that ratification and the implementation processes of the Optional Protocol place a clear burden on the resources of certain States willing to ratify the instrument, leadership by one or more countries that have already ratified is encouraged, to provide guidance and other forms of assistance.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Efforts to strengthen the links between the work of the Security Council on children and armed conflict and its sanctions regime is an area of ongoing work. Targeted and graduated sanctions should be applied against persistent perpetrators as a measure of last resort, when all other means have failed to end impunity for crimes committed against children. In its most recent resolution on children and armed conflict (resolution 1998 (2011)), the Security Council reaffirmed its readiness, expressed in previous resolutions and presidential statements, to adopt targeted and graduated measures against persistent perpetrators of grave violations against children, and increasingly to integrate violations against children into its sanctions regimes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- State parties are also encouraged to support the process towards the adoption of the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide a communications procedure, which will strengthen the protection of children involved in armed conflict. Under the new optional protocol, individuals or groups of individuals, including children themselves, who claim to be victims of violations under the Convention and its two optional protocols — on the involvement of children in armed conflict and the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography — will be able to submit communications to the Committee for examination.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- In response, in May of this year, the Special Representative briefed the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea, proposing the addition of grave violations against children as designation criteria for sanctions. The Security Council, by its resolution 2002 (2011), expanded the sanctions regime in Somalia to include grave violations against children in armed conflict in its designation criteria. Closer collaboration between the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea and the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict will enhance coherence in the work of the Council and strengthen its actions against impunity. Going forward, it will be critical to expand this practice to other sanctions committees which address persistent perpetrators of grave violations against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 60a
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Representative urges the international community:] To continue to advocate for 18 years as the minimum age for recruitment and participation in hostilities;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 60b
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Representative urges the international community:] To exert international pressure on parties that continue to recruit and use children;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 60c
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Representative urges the international community:] To monitor and compel adherence by parties to conflict to commitments made to protect children, and to hold them accountable for failure to comply with international standards;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 60d
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Representative urges the international community:] To address the political, social and economic factors that facilitate the recruitment and use of children;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 60e
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Representative urges the international community:] To respond to the rehabilitation and reintegration needs of former child soldiers.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Governments bear the primary responsibility for the protection of children and, more widely, of civilians. A number of steps must be taken to build a protective environment for children, before, during and after conflict. Foremost is the establishment of a national legal framework enshrining international norms that upholds the rights of children and protects them from the consequences of conflict. In this regard, the ratification and subsequent implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, inter alia through translation into national legislation, followed by the necessary administrative, budgetary and social policy adjustments, is a key foundational step towards the protection of children. Further child-specific legal instruments, such as child protection codes or acts, which include a gamut of measures from juvenile justice to punitive measures against violations and abuses of child rights, have provided an additional layer of legal protection in States affected by conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- During the universal periodic review process, States are urged to include, as appropriate, in their recommendations to the State under review specific references to information from the monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children established in accordance with Security Council resolution 1612 (2005), as well as the country conclusions adopted and recommendations made by the Working Group of the Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict, as appropriate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- Where societies are emerging from conflict, transitional justice mechanisms should be put in place by national authorities to ensure that wartime crimes against children are accounted for. Transitional justice mechanisms based on judicial processes may be complemented by non-judicial accountability mechanisms. These mechanisms, which can include truth-seeking and restorative approaches, can provide the cathartic effect required for reconciliation and are appropriate for child perpetrators who, as children, should be spared from prosecution. The recently passed Victims Law in Colombia, for example, is a laudable initiative aiming at ensuring that child victims of violations and abuses during conflict receive reparations from the Government.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- The concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on reports submitted by State parties under the Optional Protocol to the Convention should also be taken into consideration by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review when reviewing a State submissions under the review process.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- States should begin to pay particular attention to the implementation of relevant recommendations by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review with the assistance of the international community, wherever it is needed.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- With significant challenges remaining to the protection of children affected by conflict, advocacy is critical in developing awareness and instigating behaviour change with a view to ultimately ending grave violations against children in conflict. The Special Representative’s advocacy efforts will continue to highlight key issues of concern with a view to creating greater political and donor support for Governments and operational partners working on the protection of children affected by conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Advocacy efforts will focus on a number of key priority areas. These include the delivery of comprehensive and long-term reintegration assistance for children, based on identified programmatic best practice; the rights of internally displaced children, particularly with regard to access to education and security; the rights of children in contact with justice systems, both as victims and perpetrators; the relationship between conflict and poverty, with particular reference to Millennium Development Goal indicators; and the protection challenges raised by the changing nature of conflict and the exposure of children to military operations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- The Human Rights Council is encouraged, when considering or adopting resolutions on country-specific situations or thematic issues, to include therein recommendations on, or references to, the protection of children affected by armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- Member States bear a central and immediate political, legal and moral responsibility for the protection of children and should comply with international law for the protection of children within their territories. They should bring to justice individuals responsible for the recruitment and use of children in the armed forces or armed groups, and their use in hostilities, in violation of applicable international law. They should also take action against other grave violations against children through national justice systems, including undertaking appropriate reforms of national legislation for the protection of children, in order to bring laws into line with international obligations, as well as strengthening child-protection capacity and training for the military, the police, and law enforcement and judiciary officials in the context of national security sector reform efforts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative will continue to engage with Member States, experts and the academic community to foster greater knowledge and develop and refine knowledge and understanding of emerging challenges to the protection of children in conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Member States should continue to insist that parties listed in the annexes to the report of the Secretary-General on the recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming of children, and/or rape and other sexual violence against children (see annexes I and II), in contravention of applicable international law, prepare and implement concrete time-bound action plans to halt those violations and abuses and to take measures against any parties that fail to comply.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Finally, the Special Representative urges all special procedures mandate holders to continue to take into account during their missions the challenges faced by children, as well as in their reports and recommendations insofar as they pertain to their respective mandates, and to bring those concerns to the attention of the Special Representative.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- In order to ensure the protection of schools and hospitals during armed conflict, Member States, the Security Council, the United Nations and civil society are encouraged to undertake concerted action, in the form of a global campaign or a partnership. In addition, a strategy should be designed and implemented to halt and prevent further attacks on schools and hospitals. Creative solutions should also be found for complex problems such as the use of schools by the military and as recruiting grounds.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Member States should ensure the participation of children in justice processes, whenever grave child rights violations are committed during armed conflict. Children who participate in justice processes should be protected and their best interests should be the main concern at all times. The appropriate justice mechanism, whether judicial or non-judicial, should be sought. In addition, a child who commits international crimes while associated with armed forces or armed groups should be regarded primarily as a victim, not as a perpetrator. In the event that a child is held accountable, the appropriate form of accountability should be sought. Any decision made should take into account the best interest of the child and his or her reintegration into society.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative urges Member States, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and NGOs to redouble efforts to implement the full range of protection and programmatic measures outlined in the recommendations of the 1996 Machel study and the 2007 10-year review of that study. In this regard, part two of the report of the Special Representative of 2007 (A/62/228), which included recommendations based on the findings of the 10-year review, is referenced.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- Cognizant of the primary responsibility of States in the protection of children, the Special Representative urges Member States to strengthen policies and practices that ensure prevention of violation and abuse and stands ready to facilitate the sharing of best practices between Member States in that regard.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative reiterates her call for States to establish 18 years as the minimum age for voluntary recruitment into the armed forces when depositing their binding declaration (under article 3) upon ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative calls upon Member States to end impunity and to prosecute and punish those who commit grave violations against children during armed conflict. The international community should support Member States whenever appropriate by developing their capacity to deal with issues of justice during conflict situations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- Given the serious impact that military operations, particularly those involving aerial attacks, including by drone and helicopter, and night raids, have on children, the Special Representative welcomes efforts by multinational forces to adopt and implement tactical directives and standard operating procedures to minimize civilian casualties and destruction of civilian installations and urges all multinational forces and peacekeeping operations to ensure that appropriate policies and procedures be put in place, and the requisite training of military personnel conducted.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative encourages Member States to apply juvenile justice standards and due process safeguards when bringing a child to trial and to avoid maintaining children in administrative or prolonged pretrial detention. Where possible, Member States should consider excluding children below 18 from criminal responsibility for crimes committed while associated with an armed force or an armed group, by virtue of their age, the chain of command and the forced nature of recruitment. Non-judicial, restorative accountability mechanisms that take the best interests of the child into consideration and promote their reintegration should be introduced.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing that sustainable, long-term social and economic reintegration is the cornerstone for the durable separation of children from parties to armed conflict, the Special Representative urges donors to provide sustained and long-term support to reintegration in line with the Paris Principles and Guidelines on Children associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, including in the areas of education, vocational training and income-generating activities, as appropriate, and to support the financial aspects of the implementation of actions plans to end the recruitment and use, killing and maiming of and sexual violence against children, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative encourages Member States to continue to support the mainstreaming of child protection in United Nations activities, both in field missions and at Headquarters, and to facilitate the timely deployment of child protection advisers in peacekeeping and peacebuilding, as appropriate, as well as the authorization of adequate resources for this purpose.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Member States contributing uniformed personnel are encouraged to incorporate a child protection module into their national predeployment training for military, police and civilian personnel.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative encourages all relevant United Nations agencies and programmes to strengthen their child protection capacity, including with dedicated capacity when appropriate, at global and field levels.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- [First judgement of the International Criminal Court on the war crime of recruitment and use of children]: On 14 March 2012, the International Criminal Court delivered its verdict in the case The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, convicting Thomas Lubanga of the crimes of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 years into the Forces patriotiques pour la libération du Congo and using them to participate actively in hostilities. The Court’s first judgement on the issue of child recruitment constitutes important international jurisprudence for future cases. In 2008, the Special Representative testified as an expert witness before the Court and submitted an amicus curiae brief providing clarification on the terms “conscripting and enlisting children” and “using them to participate actively in hostilities”. Both interpretations adopted by the Court allow for greater protection for all children associated with armed forces or armed groups.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Trial Chamber I accepted the approach taken by the Pre-Trial Chamber and suggested by the Special Representative, according to which both conscription and enlistment are forms of recruitment, in that they refer to the incorporation of a boy or a girl under the age of 15 years into an armed group, whether coercively or voluntarily. The Special Representative argued in her brief to the Court that the distinction between voluntary enlistment and forced recruitment was a distinction without meaning, as even the most voluntary of acts could be a desperate attempt to survive by children with a limited number of options. In such circumstances, any consent given by a child could not be regarded as truly voluntary in the full sense of the word. Whether the child enlisted or was conscripted, the line between voluntary and involuntary recruitment was legally irrelevant and practically superficial in the context of children’s association with armed forces or armed groups in times of conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- The Chamber also decided to apply a broad interpretation of the term “participate actively in hostilities” to ensure justice and protection for all children associated with armed forces or armed groups. The Court held that the term included a wide range of individuals, from those on the front line (who participated directly) to the boys and girls who were involved in multiple roles that supported the combatants. The Court further refined that interpretation, using a case-by-case determination and adopting a double test: whether support was given and whether the support provided to the combatants exposed the child to real danger as a potential target. The Chamber made a clear distinction between the term “direct participation in hostilities”, which determines combatant status under international humanitarian law, and the term “actively participating in hostilities”, which is the criteria applicable to the use of children in hostilities, holding that the latter was to be interpreted broadly, and without conferring combatant status on those children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: Where children are concerned, justice includes far more than punishing a perpetrator. Equally important are measures to restore children’s rights and an element of reparation to address the loss of their childhood, family, education and livelihood. For various reasons, only a small proportion of children who have suffered harm during armed conflict are likely to participate as victims or witnesses in trials before a national or international court. Access to justice for children in conflict and post-conflict situations should therefore take place through both judicial and non-judicial processes. For many children in these situations, non-judicial mechanisms such as reparations can provide more immediate accountability, foster community reconciliation and allow children to move on with their lives. There are, however, significant challenges to the implementation of non-judicial mechanisms, such as the lack of financial and human resources, the victims’ expectations and the need for long-term political support.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: Reparations are intended to acknowledge the suffering of victims and harm inflicted upon them, and to provide compensation, restitution and redress for violations, with the aim of returning victims to their previous condition to the maximum extent possible. The principles underlying reparations can be found in the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law (2005), which were adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 60/147. According to the Basic Principles and Guidelines, States must, as required under international law, ensure that their domestic law is consistent with their international legal obligations by making available adequate, effective, prompt and appropriate remedies to victims, including reparations, defining them as restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition. Reparations can take various forms and may be individual, collective and/or community-based. The effectiveness of any form of reparations is limited when the objective is only to return victims to the situation that existed before the violations, without addressing underlying gender inequalities and pre-existing discriminatory practices.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: The conviction of Thomas Lubanga by the International Criminal Court not only set an important international precedent in terms of the war crime of recruiting and using children, but may also constitute a significant contribution to the development and definition of the right to reparations in international human rights law and customary international humanitarian law. Article 75 (1) of the Rome Statute requires the Court to establish principles relating to reparations to, or in respect of, victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including restitution, compensation and rehabilitation. The Court’s upcoming decision on reparations in the Lubanga case could strengthen the existing recognition of the right to reparations, as described in regional and international human rights law, including article 39 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: The International Criminal Court is the first international tribunal to include reparations to victims of war crimes in its mandate. It established the Trust Fund for Victims, which is tasked to provide general assistance in the form of physical rehabilitation, material support and psychosocial counselling to victims of international crimes in countries where the Court has jurisdiction, and to implement Court-ordered reparation awards. The Trust Fund has introduced an innovative approach to reparations in two ways: it is not linked to any specific case before the Court and supports victims both individually and collectively; and it is financed through basket funding from States and voluntary donations, which means that reparations are not limited to the financial means of the convicted person. Following the judgement in the Lubanga case, the Court and the Trust Fund will deal with legal and practical questions on the implementation of the reparations mandate, which may have implications for the larger child protection community.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: Previous experience with reparations for children, either administrative or court-ordered, has been limited. Past and present initiatives provide useful lessons learned and a sense of the challenges ahead. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, for example, was the first ad hoc and hybrid court mandated to order reparations to victims, albeit only of a collective and symbolic nature. The Special Court for Sierra Leone had no mandate to award reparations. Instead, the Government established an administrative reparations programme on the basis of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Resource limitations, however, have put a significant strain on the implementation of this reparations process. In Colombia, in the framework of the Justice and Peace Act, the Supreme Court ordered reparations to child victims of forced recruitment in the case against Freddy Rendón Herrera, alias “El Alemán”, who was accused of unlawful recruitment. The Court considered the needs and experience of each victim, in particular girls, to be different, and decided to focus on individual rehabilitation measures rather than collective material reparations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: The experiences of a significantly larger number of victims, and the loss and harm resulting from a wider range of violations, can be acknowledged and repaired through reparations programmes. Any decision on reparations should avoid an overly narrow definition of victims and their eligibility and not limit the violations allowing for reparations. It is important to include those victims who have not participated in court proceedings, maintaining an open list of applicants and conducting a series of registration periods. In deciding who is eligible for reparations, however, the limited human and financial resources must be taken into account. Priority should therefore be accorded to the immediate and direct victims of the crime and their families, including the victims of forced recruitment and the victims and families of the crimes committed by the armed group. Moreover, an assessment of the current needs of the victims is crucial as several years may have passed since the events took place.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: Any reparations process should consist of a combination of reparative measures, including individual, collective and community-based initiatives. The range of reparations spans from material (such as cash payments, access to education and health care, and skills training) to symbolic (such as public acknowledgements and memorials). For various reasons, lump-sum payments may not be the ideal form of reparations. Violations of children’s rights most often lead to lost opportunities, such as loss of schooling, family and livelihood. Accordingly, other reparation benefits, such as education programmes, physical rehabilitation, skills training and the provision of psychosocial support may be more restorative alternatives. In addition, community-based reparations, with a focus on reconciliation, may help to reduce tensions within and across communities. In this context, a project-based approach, involving communities in livelihood and infrastructure initiatives, may be a useful option, but should avoid overlap with regular development programmes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: Reparations programmes should bear in mind that victims who were children at the time of the commission of the violation may face stigmatization or marginalization as former child soldiers or forced wives, leading to the social exclusion of, in particular, girl child soldiers. Community members may also resent former child soldiers, who they feel are being rewarded for having taken part in hostilities, thus reinforcing existing divisions. The child perpetrator dilemma tends to be confusing for both the child and those who may have been their victims. Reparations, however, could also assist in signalling that past modes of operation will no longer be tolerated and could contribute to dismantling the relationship between former commanders and their victims. A public statement by community leaders on the legal findings of responsibility, followed by an intensive awareness-raising campaign on the judgement and a declaration to the effect that child victims of recruitment should not be held legally or morally responsible for their actions as combatants during the conflict, would be the best guarantee of non-repetition.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- [Prevention of child recruitment]: Children become associated with armed forces and groups for various reasons. In some situations, they are forcibly recruited or abducted by armed elements, or coerced and intimidated into joining them. Recruitment of children also takes place in the context of poverty, discrimination, revenge and loyalty to an ethnic, religious or tribal group. Often, insecurity and displacement propel children, especially those who have become separated from their families, to voluntarily join an armed group for protection and survival.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- [Prevention of child recruitment]: Given the complex set of factors influencing child recruitment, prevention strategies, to be successful, require a holistic approach and should be conducted by a variety of actors at the local, national and international levels. From a broad perspective, three prevention strategies can be identified: effective legal prevention mechanisms at the national level, strengthening community protection mechanisms at the local level, and providing children with alternatives.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- [Development, dissemination and enforcement of the law]: The criminalization of under-age recruitment and the domestication of international norms and standards against the recruitment and use of children are crucial measures for the prevention of under-age recruitment. It is crucial that States enact legislation to explicitly criminalize under-age recruitment and use of children by armed forces and groups in their penal codes. Effective criminalization can be hindered by amnesties and de facto immunities granted to members of armed forces suspected of serious human rights abuses and/or armed groups that will become part of a national army in the framework of a peace process. In developing legal provisions, care must be taken to ensure that amnesties are not applicable to individuals who recruit children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- [Development, dissemination and enforcement of the law]: Measures to foster the dissemination of the law are also critical for prevention. These may include the creation of child protection units in the military, which have played an important role in some countries. Educational training programmes to inform armed forces and groups of the legal protection for children during armed conflict are equally important in increasing awareness of and compliance with international norms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- [Development, dissemination and enforcement of the law]: At the national level, effective investigations and prosecutions are potentially powerful prevention tools but continue to be weak. The failure to investigate grave violations against children or to sanction those responsible is often linked to broader accountability issues. Short of systematic prosecution, a system for deterrence should be built through the prosecution of the most persistent violators. Furthermore, practical measures can be implemented by Governments to prevent under-age recruitment, such as free birth registration or alternative mechanisms for age verification, in addition to conscription policies and mandatory vetting procedures to monitor child recruitment by national armies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Children become associated with armed forces and groups for various reasons. In some situations, they are forcibly recruited or abducted by armed elements, or coerced and intimidated into joining them. Recruitment of children also takes place in the context of poverty, discrimination, revenge and loyalty to an ethnic, religious or tribal group. Often, insecurity and displacement propel children, especially those who have become separated from their families, to join an armed group for protection and survival.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- [Strengthening family and community protection mechanisms]: Establishing and strengthening community protection mechanisms and raising the awareness of families, communities and their leaders of the issue are other critical factors for prevention. Child protection and recruitment prevention policies are unlikely to work in contexts in which the community promotes the association of children with armed groups. Children are also most vulnerable to recruitment when family and community protection systems are weakened. In some contexts, children join armed groups because they are encouraged to do so by their families and/or communities. Domestic violence has also been found to be a central factor in the recruitment of children. Abusive families propel children on to the streets, where they are more vulnerable to recruitment, or directly into the ranks of an armed group. In Colombia, for example, the decision of children, mainly girls, to run away and join an armed group has been found to be closely linked to domestic exploitation and physical and sexual abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Given the complex set of factors influencing child recruitment, prevention strategies, to be successful, require a holistic approach. Broadly, three approaches to prevention can be identified: effective legal prevention mechanisms at the national level, strengthening community protection mechanisms at the local level and providing children with alternatives to mobilization.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The criminalization of underage recruitment and the domestication of international norms and standards against the recruitment and use of children are crucial first steps in the prevention of child soldiering. Setting the parameters of who can be lawfully recruited into armed forces and groups, and ensuring that those who do not abide by those parameters may receive punishment, is the basis for regulation. Effective criminalization can be hindered by amnesties and de facto immunities granted to members of armed forces suspected of serious human rights abuses and/or armed groups that will become part of a national army in the framework of a peace process. In developing legal provisions, care must be taken to ensure that amnesties are not applicable to individuals who recruited or recruit children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- [Strengthening family and community protection mechanisms]: Communities can prevent the voluntary or forced association of children with armed forces and groups in several ways. Community-based child protection systems can warn of the threat of recruitment or rerecruitment. Where armed groups depend on the moral or material support of local people, community structures may be able to put pressure on local commanders to release children and provide support for their protection. Community figures such as elders and traditional leaders can also reach non-State parties to promote child protection commitments and prevent recruitment. In Afghanistan, for example, elders have in some cases reached agreements with local commanders to impede the recruitment of children. Community-based child protection systems can also help to reduce the overall vulnerability of children and provide special protection to children living and working in the streets, orphans and separated children, who are at particular risk of recruitment.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Laws are not effective, however, if there is no implementation or awareness of their existence. Measures to foster their dissemination are therefore also critical for prevention. These may include the creation of child protection units in the military, which have played an important role in countries such as South Sudan and the Sudan. Educational training programmes to inform armed forces and groups of the legal protection for children during armed conflict are equally important in increasing awareness of and compliance with international norms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- [Strengthening family and community protection mechanisms]: Partnering with and building the capacity of local child protection systems requires a situation analysis of each country in order to identify the strengths of and gaps in child protection systems at both the national and community levels. Community-based child protection mechanisms have been found to be a highly diverse and adaptable approach to child protection in different contexts. In some situations, child protection mechanisms have sprung out of women’s associations and been engaged in collecting information on violations of children’s rights and in protecting children at particular risk of recruitment. Other community-led protection networks spring up spontaneously or are fostered by non-governmental organizations working with the community.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- At the national level, effective investigations and prosecutions are potentially powerful prevention tools but are often hindered by lack of resources and capacity. The failure to investigate grave violations against children or to sanction those responsible is often linked to broader accountability issues. Short of systematic prosecution, a system for deterrence should be built through the prosecution of the most persistent violators. In addition, practical measures can be implemented by Governments to prevent underage recruitment, such as free birth registration or alternative mechanisms for age verification, in addition to conscription policies and mandatory vetting procedures to monitor child recruitment by national armies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- [Strengthening family and community protection mechanisms]: Initiatives to raise community awareness about the rights of children and the long-term implications of children’s association with armed groups and to promote attitudinal change or encourage the intervention of community and religious leaders to halt child recruitment should be conducted in close collaboration with parents, community and religious leaders, teachers and children themselves. Dialogue to foster community ownership is crucial, as are consultations that aim at identifying and building on existing positive practices.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- [Strengthening family and community protection mechanisms]: A common challenge is the creation of linkages between local, community-based protection structures, on the one hand, and elements of the formal child protection system and Government services, on the other. Often, the existence of strong legal and policy frameworks notwithstanding, Government-led services are not filtering down to the communities. In extremely fragile contexts, the weakness of the State and its lack of control over all areas may be a factor accounting for gaps in Government services at the community level. In other contexts, it is a sign of insufficient priority and resources being accorded to the commitments made in the national framework. In the absence of formal mechanisms, community-led mechanisms often step in. These may include groups formed specifically for the purpose, such as child protection committees or community care coalitions, or they may simply consist of existing structures, such as women’s groups, faith-based organizations and other community associations that take on a role in protecting children. To be effective, these mechanisms need adequate funding, capacity and knowledge to deal with child protection issues.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Where State institutions are weak, prevention must begin at the community level. Establishing and strengthening community protection mechanisms and raising the awareness of families, communities and their leaders of the issue are other critical factors for prevention. Child protection and recruitment prevention policies are unlikely to work in contexts in which the community promotes the association of children with armed groups. Children are also most vulnerable to recruitment when family and community protection systems are weakened. In some contexts, children join armed groups because they are encouraged to do so by their families and/or communities. Abusive family environments can also propel children on to the streets, where they are more vulnerable to recruitment, or directly into the ranks of an armed group. In Colombia, for example, the decision of children, mainly girls, to run away and join an armed group has been found to be closely linked to domestic exploitation and physical and sexual abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- [Empowering children through education, skills and livelihood opportunities]: In many contexts, joining armed forces or groups is a deliberate choice for children who otherwise lack opportunities and a sense of purpose in life. It is unlikely that children will want to leave an armed group or refrain from rejoining unless the reasons why they originally volunteered have been addressed.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- Communities can prevent the voluntary or forced association of children with armed forces and groups in several ways. Community-based child protection systems can warn of the threat of recruitment or rerecruitment. Where armed groups depend on the moral or material support of the community, community structures may be able to put pressure on local commanders to release children and provide support for their protection. Community figures such as elders, traditional and/or religious leaders can also reach non-State parties to promote child protection commitments and prevent recruitment. In Afghanistan, for example, elders have in some cases reached agreements with local commanders to impede the recruitment of children and to stop attacks on schools. Community-based child protection systems can also help to reduce the overall vulnerability of children and provide special protection to children living and working in the streets, orphans and separated children, who are at particular risk of recruitment.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Partnering with and building the capacity of local child protection systems requires a situation analysis of each country in order to identify the strengths of and gaps in child protection systems at both the national and community levels. Community-based child protection mechanisms have been found to be a highly diverse and adaptable approach to child protection in different contexts. In some situations, child protection mechanisms have sprung out of women’s associations and have been engaged in collecting information on violations of children’s rights and in protecting children at particular risk of recruitment. Other community-led protection networks spring up spontaneously or are fostered by non-governmental organizations working with the community.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- [Empowering children through education, skills and livelihood opportunities]: Ensuring children’s access to education is itself a powerful means of protecting them from becoming involved with armed forces or groups in conflict-affected countries or fragile situations. If children attend school, they are busy and less likely to join armed forces or groups because they have other alternatives. In contrast, a lack of access to education leads many young people to see military training as their only opportunity to learn. In situations of armed conflict, when the protective function of schools is most required, schools often become targets for attacks. The use of schools for military purposes equally reduces the likelihood of children attending school, and thus may increase the likelihood of voluntary association of children with armed groups. All stakeholders must therefore ensure that schools are protected. Measures that field-based practitioners in conflict settings have used to prevent schools from being attacked include physical protection, community involvement in protection of schools, alternative delivery of education, negotiations with stakeholders to make schools conflict-free zones, restrictions on the military and political use of schools, and advocacy initiatives.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- [Empowering children through education, skills and livelihood opportunities]: Evidence from armed conflicts suggests that there is a strong association between recruitment into armed forces or groups, on the one hand, and poverty and social disadvantage, on the other. Poverty, often combined with social exclusion, has been found to stir the frustration of young people and create incentives to join armed groups. In many post-conflict societies, young people have little choice but to remain unemployed or accept short-term and exploitative work. Accordingly, providing children and young people with alternatives through high-quality education, both formal and non-formal, and national programmes for job creation and income generation for young people should be top priorities in national prevention strategies. Food security and livelihood measures, tailored to the specific economic context, together with cultural and psychosocial support activities, can also contribute to preventing the recruitment and the rerecruitment of children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Initiatives to raise community awareness about the rights of children and the long-term implications of children’s association with armed groups and to promote attitudinal change or encourage the intervention of community and religious leaders to halt child recruitment should be conducted in close collaboration with parents, community and religious leaders, teachers and children themselves. Dialogue to foster community ownership is crucial, as are consultations that aim at identifying and building on existing positive practices.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- A common challenge is the creation of linkages between local, community-based protection structures, on the one hand, and elements of the formal child protection system and Government services, on the other. Often, the existence of strong legal and policy frameworks notwithstanding, Government-led services are not filtering down to the communities. In extremely fragile contexts, the weakness of the State and its lack of control over all areas may be a factor accounting for gaps in Government services at the community level. In other contexts, it is a sign of insufficient priority and resources being accorded to the commitments made in the national framework. In the absence of formal mechanisms, community-led mechanisms often step in. These may include groups formed specifically for the purpose, such as child protection committees or community care coalitions, or they may simply consist of existing structures, such as women’s groups, faith-based organizations and other community associations that take on a role in protecting children. To be effective, these mechanisms need adequate funding, capacity and knowledge to deal with child protection issues.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- [Explosive weapons: an emerging concern]: An emerging concern is the use of explosive weapons by Governments and non-State actors, especially in populated areas, which has a devastating impact on civilians, including children. A particular cause for concern has been the use of heavy explosive weapons that can have wide-area effects, such as multiple-launch rockets, high-explosive artillery and mortars, car bombs and other improvised explosive devices.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- [Explosive weapons: an emerging concern]: Explosive weapons touch on four of the six grave violations against children and armed conflict, including killing or maiming. They are also used for direct and physical attacks on schools and hospitals, where they may result in forced closure or compromised functioning. Children recruited and used as suicide bombers and victim bombers both carry explosive weapons. In some country situations, children are denied humanitarian access because of the presence of explosive remnants of war. Recent developments in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, the Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic, where thousands of children have been killed and maimed, have confirmed the gravity of the issue.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- [Empowering children through education, skills and livelihood opportunities]: In many contexts, joining armed forces or groups is a deliberate choice for children who otherwise lack opportunities and a sense of purpose in life. It is unlikely that children will want to leave an armed group or refrain from rejoining unless the reasons why they originally volunteered have been addressed.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- [Empowering children through education, skills and livelihood opportunities]: Ensuring children’s access to education is itself a powerful means of reducing the risk of joining armed forces or groups in conflict-affected countries or fragile situations. Research has suggested that, in some contexts, the higher the level of education received, the less likely a child is to mobilize voluntarily. If children attend school, they are less likely to join armed forces or groups because they have other alternatives. In contrast, a lack of access to education leads many young people to see military training as their only opportunity to provide for themselves and their families. In situations of armed conflict, when the protective function of schools is most required, schools often become targets for attacks. The use of schools for military purposes equally reduces the likelihood of children attending school. All stakeholders must therefore ensure that schools are protected. Measures that field-based practitioners in conflict settings have used to prevent schools from being attacked include physical protection, community involvement in protection of schools, alternative delivery of education, negotiations with stakeholders to make schools zones of peace, restrictions on the military and political use of schools, and advocacy initiatives.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- [Explosive weapons: an emerging concern]: Recognition of the distinct and specific problems associated with explosive weapons is growing. Acknowledgment that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas causes severe harm to civilians and is a serious concern for the protection of children in armed conflict has to be further strengthened, however. Systematic data collection and analysis of the human cost of these weapons is critical to this end. In addition, the humanitarian principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution must always guide the use of explosive weapons in compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law. When dealing with country-specific situations where parties to conflict are listed by the Secretary-General for patterns of killing and maiming children, and attacks on schools and hospitals, action plans to end these violations should tackle the issue of explosive weapons.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- [Empowering children through education, skills and livelihood opportunities]: The recruitment of children into armed forces or groups has been documented as being often closely connected to poverty and social disadvantage. Poverty, often combined with social exclusion, has been found to stir the frustration of young people and create incentives for them to join armed groups. In many post-conflict societies, young people have little choice but to remain unemployed or accept short-term and exploitative work. Accordingly, providing children and young people with alternatives through high-quality education, both formal and non-formal, and national programmes for job creation and income generation for young people should be top priorities in national prevention strategies. Donor agencies should also accord priority to work in this regard. Food security and livelihood measures, tailored to the specific economic context, together with cultural and psychosocial support activities, can also contribute to preventing the recruitment and the rerecruitment of children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Explosive weapons, defined as weapons that cause injury, death or damage by projecting explosive blast, and often fragmentation, from the detonation of an explosive device, have a devastating impact on civilians, including children, especially when used in highly populated areas. Such weapons, which include air-dropped bombs, grenades, landmines, improvised explosive devices and mortars, tend to have effects that users cannot foresee or control accurately and therefore carry a great risk of being indiscriminate in their impact.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- The use of explosive weapons by armed forces and groups often results in the commission of violations against children, including the injury, maiming and killing of children, the recruitment of children as suicide and victim bombers, the damaging and/or destruction of civilian installations such as schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access, for example through the planting of landmines. They also cause long-lasting harm by damaging children’s emotional stability, education and future opportunities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Explosive weapons with wide-area effect, such as multiple-launch rockets, high-explosive artillery, mortars, car bombs and other improvised explosive devices, are a particular cause for concern. In 2011, mortar and artillery shells, which are indiscriminate weapons traditionally used against massed infantry, killed and injured children in Libya, Somalia and the Syrian Arab Republic, among others. In Afghanistan and Iraq, there has been an increasing number of complex attacks involving the combination of two or more attacks on one target using explosive weapons by armed groups. These attacks, usually perpetrated against Government institutions, resulted in significant child casualties. Aerial bombardments and drone attacks in countries such as Pakistan and Yemen have also killed and injured children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- In most of the 23 country situations reflected in the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict covering the period from January to December 2011 (A/66/782-S/2012/261), explosive weapons were used in direct physical attacks against schools and hospitals, a grave violation of children’s rights. They posed a threat to children and medical and educational personnel, resulting in the forced closure or the compromised functioning of those institutions. In some country situations, children were denied humanitarian access because of the presence of explosive remnants of war from previous conflicts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- In 2011, 22 incidents were reported of children being used by armed groups to carry out suicide attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including one 8-year-old girl and one 9-year-old girl. Some of those children were victim bombers, unknowingly carrying explosive packages.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- While recognition of the distinct problems associated with explosive weapons has grown over time, there is a need for further policy attention and immediate action to effectively protect children from such weapons. There is also a need for greater acknowledgement that the use of such weapons, especially those with wide-area effect and those used in densely populated areas, severely harm children and communities. Systematic data collection and analysis of the human cost of these weapons is critical to the development of baseline information, which would in turn further strengthen the empirical basis for advocacy efforts to better protect children. In the context of the monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children, the Office of the Special Representative will, together with United Nations partners, endeavour to gather disaggregated and more detailed information on child casualties resulting from the use of such weapons. The Office will also advocate the inclusion of specific provisions against the use of explosive weapons in action plans signed by parties to conflict that aim at halting the killing and maiming of children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative urges Member States to enact appropriate national legislation to criminalize grave violations against children, including the recruitment and use of children in armed forces and armed groups, which has been defined in the Rome Statute as a war crime, and also to bring adult recruiters to justice in national courts. In this regard, the international community should support Member States, where appropriate, to develop and strengthen national capacity for the administration of justice.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative welcomes the strengthened collaboration between her Office and the United Nations human rights system, and reiterates her continued support, including through regular information-sharing and advocacy for the protection of children affected by armed conflict. The Special Representative reiterates that, unless all parties to conflict adhere to their commitments, comply with their international obligations and are held accountable for non-compliance, there will be no improvement in the situation of children in armed conflict. To this end, the Special Representative makes the recommendations below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative urges States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to strengthen national and international measures for the prevention of recruitment of children into the armed forces or armed groups and their use in hostilities, in particular by signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict and enacting legislation to explicitly prohibit and criminalize the recruitment of children into armed forces or groups and their use in hostilities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- International and national courts are encouraged to use and build on the jurisprudence arising from the judgement handed down by the International Criminal Court in the Lubanga case and to be guided by the measures that the Court has put in place related to child protection and child participation in judicial proceedings.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- States parties should also establish mechanisms to identify children who have been or may have been recruited or used in hostilities, and provide such children with the necessary assistance, including psychological and psychological rehabilitation and social integration, and prohibit the export of arms to countries where children are being recruited or used in hostilities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative, encouraged by the continuing efforts of regional organizations to develop measures to ensure the mainstreaming of child protection concerns in activities related to conflict prevention, mediation and peace support operations, calls upon these regional organizations to fully implement the guidance developed.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- States parties to the Convention and to the Optional Protocol are further urged to implement the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child as a matter of priority and to submit timely reports to the Committee under the Optional Protocol. To this end, States parties are encouraged to establish effective interministerial coordination mechanisms with a view to ensuring comprehensive measures to prevent and protect children from offences under the Optional Protocol.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the Special Representative encourages further engagement on the children and armed conflict agenda by other regional organizations with a view to developing awareness of and political commitment to the agenda, in addition to, where relevant, appropriate policy and operational guidance.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- States are encouraged to establish 18 years as the minimum age for voluntary recruitment into armed forces when depositing their binding declaration upon ratification of the Optional Protocol. Those States that have ratified but not adopted what is known as the “straight-18 position” are urged to reconsider their declarations and to raise the minimum age to 18 years.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, the Special Representative urges Member States to take steps to reduce the impact of such weapons on children, including by:]
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 69a
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, the Special Representative urges Member States to take steps to reduce the impact of such weapons on children, including by:] Refraining from using explosive weapons with wide-area effect in populated areas, including by revising and strengthening military policies and procedures, as necessary, and ensuring that all military operations are in compliance with international humanitarian law and underpinned by the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 69b
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, the Special Representative urges Member States to take steps to reduce the impact of such weapons on children, including by:] Supporting the collection of data on the impact of explosive weapons on children, including by collecting and sharing such information with the United Nations;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 69c
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, the Special Representative urges Member States to take steps to reduce the impact of such weapons on children, including by:] Ensuring that those using explosive weapons in contravention of international law are held accountable.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Since ratification and the implementation processes of the Optional Protocol place a clear burden on the resources of those States willing to ratify the instrument, leadership by one or more countries that have already ratified is encouraged, to provide guidance and other forms of assistance.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative again urges all armed actors to review, as a matter of priority, the use of aerial attacks, including drones, and night raids so as to prevent incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative urges the international community to continue to advocate 18 years as the minimum age for recruitment and participation in hostilities; to exert international pressure on parties that continue to recruit and use children; to monitor and compel adherence by parties to conflict to commitments made to protect children, and to hold them accountable for failure to comply with international standards; to address the political, social and economic factors facilitating the recruitment and use of children; and to respond to the rehabilitation and reintegration needs of former child soldiers.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 71a
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to the prevention of the recruitment and use of children, the Special Representative calls upon relevant Member States:] To ensure enforcement of legislation prohibiting child recruitment and to strengthen community-based child protection mechanisms as a critical measure to prevent child recruitment;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 71b
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to the prevention of the recruitment and use of children, the Special Representative calls upon relevant Member States:] To develop prevention strategies, including through the provision of formal and/or informal education services to children and young people, in addition to the establishment of job-creation and income-generation programmes;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 71c
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to the prevention of the recruitment and use of children, the Special Representative calls upon relevant Member States:] To provide official development assistance to Governments in the implementation of prevention strategies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- During the universal periodic review process, States are urged to include, as appropriate, in their recommendations to the State under review specific references to information from the monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children established in accordance with Security Council resolution 1612 (2005), in addition to the country conclusions adopted and recommendations made by the Working Group of the Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict, as appropriate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative reiterates her call for States to sign, ratify and/or accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and in so doing, to establish 18 years as the minimum age for voluntary recruitment into their armed forces when depositing their binding declaration (under article 3) upon ratification of the Optional Protocol.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative encourages Member States to continue to support the mainstreaming of child protection in United Nations activities, both in field missions and at Headquarters, and to facilitate the authorization and timely deployment of child protection advisers in peacekeeping operations and special political missions, as appropriate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- The concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on reports submitted by States parties under the Optional Protocol to the Convention should also be taken into consideration by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review when reviewing a State submission under the review process.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- States should further begin to accord priority to the implementation of relevant recommendations by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review with the assistance of the international community, wherever it is needed.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph