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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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 2016, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Armed conflict has resulted not only in human casualties and physical destruction, but also in forced displacement. In the course of the past year, an ever-growing number of people have fled conflict zones and sought refuge in safer places. UNHCR reports that, globally, one in every 122 persons is now either a refugee, internally displaced or seeking asylum. In many situations, as in the Central African Republic, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic, children, many of them unaccompanied or separated from their families, represent a high proportion of the displaced population and have been at a particularly high risk of human rights violations and abuses. Children can be victims of grave violations inside and around refugee camps or camps for internally displaced persons. Armed groups take advantage of the vulnerability and concentration of displaced populations in camps to recruit children and commit other violations, including sexual violence and human trafficking.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative encourages the Human Rights Council to highlight the rights of children displaced by conflict and the obligations of States of origin, transit and destination, in its resolutions on country-specific situations and thematic issues and in the mandates of special procedure mandate holders and commissions of inquiry.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
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;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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. 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 2011, para. 60e
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Representative urges the international community:] To respond to the rehabilitation and reintegration needs of former child soldiers.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 2013, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- Measures to address the structural causes of child recruitment must tackle social exclusion and provide children and youth with education and socioeconomic alternatives. At the national level, measures to reintegrate children must be systematically included in broader recovery and development strategies. The economic dimensions of preventing the recruitment of children and reintegrating them into society need to figure prominently in the peacebuilding, recovery and development agenda of international agencies and bilateral donors.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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. 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 2013, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- If a peace agreement exclusively refers to the separation of child combatants, many children and youth, especially girls and those serving in so-called support functions, in particular victims of sexual violence, are at risk of being excluded from adequate reintegration assistance. Peace agreements should acknowledge the special needs of girls and provide for the establishment of rehabilitation programmes, health-care and counselling services for all boys and girls separated from armed forces and groups. Specific consideration should also be given to concerns regarding the protection of vulnerable children, such as refugee and internally displaced children, children separated from their families, unaccompanied minors and children orphaned by war.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 2014, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative is particularly pleased to note the efforts of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to increase access among refugees and internally displaced persons to education, even in the emergency phases of its operations. The UNHCR focus on access to education as a protection tool to prevent forced recruitment, sexual violence, child labour and early or forced marriages is a step in the right direction. With 51 million persons under its mandate, UNHCR has gone a long way, alongside host authorities, to ensure that education brings a brighter future for young people in difficult circumstances.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Conflict continues to cause displacement as civilians seek safety and refuge. The Special Representative noted, in her 2014 report to the Human Rights Council, that the number of displaced persons globally was the highest since the Second World War, including millions of children (see A/HRC/28/54, para. 6). That situation has not improved, as the number of protracted and new conflicts continues to grow. In June 2015, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicated that there were more internally displaced persons and refugees than ever before. This has led to vulnerable persons, including many children, losing their lives while taking perilous journeys to perceived safety.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Armed conflict has resulted not only in human casualties and physical destruction, but also in forced displacement. Over the course of the past year, an ever-growing number of people have fled armed conflict and sought refuge. The most recent estimates by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees indicate that an unprecedented 65.3 million people around the world have been forced from their homes. Among them are nearly 21.3 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. In addition, unaccompanied or separated children submitted 98,400 asylum requests in 2015, most of whom were from conflict-affected countries, which is the largest number ever recorded. Displacement has a critical impact on children, since parties to conflict take advantage of the vulnerability and concentration of displaced populations to recruit children in camps and commit other violations, such as abduction, sexual violence, forced marriage and human trafficking.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- The international community and countries of origin, transit and destination should take all feasible measures to protect the rights of refugee and internally displaced children affected by armed conflict. The need for more equitable sharing of responsibilities is also clearly evident, as 90 per cent of all refugees are hosted in developing countries in close proximity to conflict areas. In September 2016, the General Assembly will host a high-level meeting to address large movements of refugees and migrants, with the aim of bringing countries together behind a more humane and coordinated approach. In line with other United Nations partners, the Special Representative emphasizes that the fundamental principles of the best interests of the child and non-discrimination should be given primary consideration at the meeting and in the development of all relevant policies on internally displaced and refugee children. In particular, the institution of asylum needs more than ever to be respected, preserved and reinforced, particularly in relation to children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- The international community, as well as countries of origin, transit and destination, should take all feasible measures to protect the rights of refugee and internally displaced children, particularly those living in areas affected by armed conflict. Increased efforts should be made, not only to identify long-term solutions that will reduce and mitigate the root causes and structural factors of displacement, but also to provide support to displaced children and ensure family reunification, keeping in mind the best interests of the child.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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. 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 2013, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- To break this vicious cycle, measures must be put in place to protect children from recruitment and rerecruitment and provide them with viable alternatives. Reintegration can serve as an effective tool for the prevention of recruitment through education, skills training, socioeconomic development for children and community sensitization programmes. With such opportunities, the likelihood that children will return to armed groups or engage in criminal activities is significantly reduced. This, in turn, contributes to the building of resilient communities and to social stability. The effectiveness of reintegration measures depends, however, on their continuity and sustainability, as well as the on extent to which the underlying causes of recruitment are being addressed.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- While protecting displaced children and providing for health care and education are important steps, it is clear that strong leadership is needed by Member States to end conflict and create conditions conducive to sustainable return. Increased efforts should be made to identify long-term solutions that will mitigate the root causes and structural factors of displacement, provide support to displaced children and ensure family reunification, keeping in mind the best interests of the child. Only when children are reunited with their families, in a safe environment and with access to basic services, will they be able to flourish and fully contribute to the future of their society.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 2014, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Noting the importance of early consideration and long-term planning to the process of reintegrating and rehabilitating children affected by armed conflict, which lies at the heart of the security-development nexus, the Special Representative calls for the inclusion of the issue in the peacebuilding, recovery and development agenda of international agencies and bilateral donors and its adequate reflection in the formulation of sustainable development goals.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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. 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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