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Effective Implementation of the OPSC 2010, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- The rape and sexual exploitation of young girls and women have been used as veritable weapons of war during conflict. The physical and psychological consequences are significant for the victims, who often find themselves stigmatized and marginalized and hence more vulnerable.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Financing education and update on education in emergencies 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- Increased and more coordinated attention to education among the stakeholders providing humanitarian assistance remains a key concern. The recent partnership between The Sphere Project and the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) in preparing the companionship agreement guiding the integration of quality education in humanitarian response represents an important step in the promotion of more coherent and dedicated attention to education within the humanitarian community. Traditionally excluded from humanitarian priorities, the restoration of access to education continues to be cited as a priority by families and young people affected by emergencies. Responding to the needs identified by communities affected is an essential component of humanitarian responses, and central to the implementation of the right to education.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Financing education and update on education in emergencies 2011, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- The Global Education Cluster developed a Joint Education Needs Assessment Toolkit in 2010, as well as a Short Guide for Rapid Needs Assessments to provide guidance on data collection in emergency situations. The need for further improving monitoring capacities through the definition of a core set of indicators, including estimated numbers of children and youth to be reached, age and gender profiles, patterns of displacement, education materials, teacher and infrastructure requirements needed to guide the estimation of financing requirements has been underlined.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Studio Ijambo was launched in 1995 by the organization Search for Common Ground to address inter-ethnic violence in Burundi. The programme aimed to establish a platform to promote dialogue and tolerance through radio, in contrast to hate speech and incitement in radio programmes in neighbouring Rwanda. The station uses different formats, including debates and discussion programmes, soap operas, sketches and interactions between political leaders and youth, for example. Twenty years on, the model is considered a success and has been replicated in other African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where radio has been used to promote constructive messages about conflict resolution.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The causes of homelessness vary among particular groups. Street-connected children come from families with a wide range of experiences, including death, dislocation, disease, isolation, poverty, mental illness, domestic violence, child abuse and drug use. Women are forced into homelessness because of violence, unequal access to land and property, unequal wages and other forms of discrimination. Persons with disabilities are made homeless by lack of work, livelihoods and accessible housing. Young people are often denied access to housing and services in cities if they do not have appropriate government-issued documentation or identity cards. Conflict results in massive displacement and migration, as has been evidenced clearly by the waves of refugees from countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Somalia and the Syrian Arab Republic escaping from conflict, widespread violence and insecurity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Homelessness among children and young people has reached critical proportions. Factors that push children into leaving home include parents' unemployment and poverty; family disintegration and parental abuse; parental drug and alcohol addictions; and being orphaned owing to HIV/AIDS, Ebola, armed conflict or natural disaster. Some families, unable to support children because of extreme poverty, abandon or send them to urban areas to work. Children raised in residential institutions often find themselves homeless when they reach the age at which institutional care ceases. Identified "pull" factors include "spatial freedom, financial independence, adventure, city glamour and street-based friendships or gangs".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- While improved statistical data will be important to guide public policy and to hold governments accountable, adjustments will need to be made for the inevitable limitations, omissions and possible distortions in available data. Challenges associated with measuring homelessness should not be allowed to encourage policies that respond only to the visible and more easily measured forms of homelessness. Homelessness among single men living on the streets or using emergency shelters is more easily measured. It is more difficult to measure homelessness among women, children and young people living temporarily with family or friends, or among those most marginalized and precariously housed within informal settlements, who may be altogether left out of census or data collection. It is equally difficult to identify and measure homelessness among indigenous households or communities displaced from ancestral lands. Members of ethnic minorities may not wish to be identified by authorities. In Kenya, for instance, many of the people who become homeless because of ethnic violence did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal. Policy responses and assessments of progress in eliminating homelessness must make allowances for less visible dimensions of homelessness that may not have been measured.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Human rights of internally displaced persons in the context of the Post-2015 development agenda 2015, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- The synthesis report recognizes increasingly negative displacement trends. In the section on "dignity" it states that no society can reach its full potential if whole segments of that society are excluded from participating in, contributing to, and benefiting from development. It notes that the agenda "must not exclude migrants, refugees, displaced persons, or persons affected by conflict and occupation". The chapter entitled "A synthesis" states that particular attention should be given to countries in situations of fragility and conflict and the specific conditions of each country should be addressed. There is a consistent call to "leave no one behind" and ensure equality, non-discrimination, equity and inclusion. The report states: "We must pay special attention to the people, groups and countries most in need. We need to include the poor, children, adolescents, youth and the aged, as well as the unemployed, rural populations, slum dwellers, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees and displaced persons, vulnerable groups and minorities. These also include those affected by climate change."
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Implementing child rights in early childhood 2006, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Young children's vulnerability to risks. Throughout this general comment the Committee notes that large numbers of young children grow up in difficult circumstances that are frequently in violation of their rights. Young children are especially vulnerable to the harm caused by unreliable, inconsistent relationships with parents and caregivers, or growing up in extreme poverty and deprivation, or being surrounded by conflict and violence or displaced from their homes as refugees, or any number of other adversities prejudicial to their well being. Young children are less able to comprehend these adversities or resist harmful effects on their health, or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. They are especially at risk where parents or other caregivers are unable to offer adequate protection, whether due to illness, or death, or due to disruption to families or communities. Whatever the difficult circumstances, young children require particular consideration because of the rapid developmental changes they are experiencing; they are more vulnerable to disease, trauma, and distorted or disturbed development, and they are relatively powerless to avoid or resist difficulties and are dependent on others to offer protection and promote their best interests. In the following paragraphs, the Committee draws States parties' attention to major difficult circumstances referred to in the Convention that have clear implications for rights in early childhood. This list is not exhaustive, and children may in any case be subject to multiple risks. In general, the goal of States parties should be to ensure that every child, in every circumstance, receives adequate protection in fulfilment of their rights:
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
Internally displaced women: progress, challenges and the way ahead 2013, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- The past twenty years have witnessed the formulation of a multitude of tools and standards relevant to gender and forced displacement, which increasingly include IDW. While some standards and practices focus on particular issues such as reproductive health and SGBV, others tackle gender and displacement in a cross-cutting manner. The Guiding Principles formed the first normative framework to detail a number of specific rights of IDW, including non-discrimination and the right of expectant mothers, mothers of young children, and female heads of household, inter alia, to protection and assistance that "takes into account their special needs". The Guiding Principles identify various forms of violence and exploitation against which IDPs should be protected, including SGBV, underline the right of IDW to access all necessary documents, education and training, and call for the active participation of women in decision-making at all stages of displacement. They have informed subsequent instruments and frameworks, which address IDW, such as the Kampala Convention and the Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Internally displaced women: progress, challenges and the way ahead 2013, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Given that nearly 50 per cent of survivors of sexual assault are under 18 years of age, the Special Rapporteur is concerned about the prevailing tendency to overlook the needs of children and youth in this area. Additionally, a stronger focus on prevention is required regarding SGBV within internally displaced households and communities. At present, most SGBV prevention and response programmes focus on "stranger" rape rather than the more prevalent forms of sexual violence experienced within households and communities (e.g. intimate partner violence), and the problematic coping practices that IDW may be compelled to adopt (e.g. early marriages). Moreover, given that women with disabilities in non-displacement settings are more likely to be victims of sexual violence and abuse, the levels of sexual violence against women and girls with disabilities amongst displaced and conflict-affected populations are likely to be even higher.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Internally displaced women: progress, challenges and the way ahead 2013, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- However, opportunities for IDW to participate actively in decision-making processes remain particularly limited. For example, IDW have rarely played an active role in developing, implementing and monitoring national action plans on Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), although IDW in a diverse range of contexts have demonstrated their ability and determination to play leading roles in developing and implementing policies and programmes concerning them. Unfortunately, the participatory approaches used to identify protection gaps of concern to IDW often do not extend to ensuring that they have an active say in the development, implementation and evaluation of responses to these gaps. IDW should therefore be given the opportunity to actively participate in peace processes; in negotiating durable solutions and the planning process for returns, reintegration or resettlement; and in post-conflict reconstruction and rebuilding. Participation of women in humanitarian planning should further reflect the diversity of the population and seek to include adolescent girls, youth and those with disabilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Internally displaced women: progress, challenges and the way ahead 2013, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Despite attempts to mainstream attention to gender, age and other elements of diversity, room remains for stronger links between gender and generation-sensitive analyses and interventions in support of IDPs. This is especially the case for adolescent girls, young and older IDW. The ageing of the global population points towards the need to integrate gender and generation-sensitive approaches to internal displacement more systematically, given the growing proportion of elderly displaced women, including widows, with particular capacities and protection and assistance concerns. These concerns may be particularly pronounced when older IDW take on the role of caregivers to children whose parents have died or moved elsewhere. Similarly, displaced girls are burdened with heavy household responsibilities, including domestic chores, such as fetching water and firewood and caring for younger siblings. This often results in young girls missing out on schooling and exposes them to increased protection risks. There is also a need for more concerted attention to the particular risks and challenges faced by IDW and girls with disabilities, including ensuring full access to and inclusion in humanitarian programmes and recognizing their skills and capacities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Internally displaced women: progress, challenges and the way ahead 2013, para. 76f
- Paragraph text
- [Redouble efforts to prevent and respond effectively to SGBV at all stages of displacement, including by:] Increasing targeted support for young women and girls, including those with disabilities, at risk of or subjected to SGBV;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Special attention should be given to the situation and perspectives of youth. Young people living in marginalized environments in which there are high levels of unemployment and poverty and education dropout rates, may be vulnerable to recruitment by violent and radical groups. Some community projects working with young adults have been successful in locations where violence has taken place, including in Jos in Nigeria and Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such projects help to build understanding between young people from different or conflict-affected communities and reduce the risk of their becoming part of the circle of violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Progress and challenges relating to the human rights of IDPs 2016, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- The projects included emergency employment, restoration and stabilization of disrupted livelihoods, emergency support to vulnerable groups, capacity development, advocacy and technical assistance. They included the restoration of small businesses, including food production and processing, small scale manufacturing, debris and waste removal, re-establishing markets and stimulating local economies by encouraging local production and procurement. Vocational training was provided through entrepreneurship promotion activities, with a special focus on vulnerable groups, including female-headed households, persons with disabilities and young people. The monitoring and documentation of such programmes is necessary to ensure that they improve self-reliance in a sustainable way.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Progress and challenges relating to the human rights of IDPs 2016, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- Consultation, participation and information provision activities must engage widely with internally displaced persons, including women and female heads of households, young people, older persons and persons with disabilities. In-depth assessments, profiling and consultations help to reveal vulnerabilities, capacities and obstacles, essential to providing appropriate responses and durable solutions. Gathering data on those outside of camps has also proven extremely difficult, and there is a need to find creative solutions to ensure that they do not fall through protection and support nets. The Special Rapporteur's report on the issue to the Human Rights Council in 2012 notably focuses on addressing the causes of neglect of internally displaced persons outside camps through data collection.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Older persons
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Protection of children from sale and sexual exploitation following humanitarian crisis due to natural disasters 2012, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- It is easy for children, particularly young and disabled children, to become separated from their families in a natural disaster when all attention is focused on dealing with the immediate impact. Children may also become unaccompanied if their families lack the capacity or assistance to care for them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Mass displacement, breakdown of community and family networks, and institutional collapse may create a vacuum in which women and young girls are vulnerable to sexual violence. They face a heightened risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking, as well as increased domestic violence and abuse from family members. Health facilities that lack qualified health professionals, patient referral mechanisms and psychological counselling may be unable to identify and respond to these forms of conflict-related sexual violence. This is especially true when health services are restricted to sexual violence perpetrated by armed groups. The stigma associated with sexual violence and HIV and the absence of adequate protection mechanisms may also contribute to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Stigma, abandonment by families and communities, and retribution from perpetrators create an atmosphere that perpetuates gender-based violence and leads to the exclusion and disempowerment of survivors. The failure to provide services that promote the safety and respect the confidentiality of survivors undermines their full participation in society, particularly in post-conflict reconstruction efforts.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- As noted by the Security Council (resolution 1820 (2008)) and others, certain civilians may be targeted on the basis of their perceived or actual association with ethnic, religious or political groups. Such strategies infringe human dignity and are manifestly incompatible with the right to health. In certain circumstances, they may also qualify as crimes against humanity, genocide or war crimes. For example, the use of gender-based violence as a strategy of conflict has been well documented. Such violence can include incestuous rape and public rape, rape as a deliberate vector of HIV, camps specifically designed for forced impregnation of women, and premeditated rape as a tool of political repression. Women and girls are common targets of sexual violence, although men and young boys may also be targeted with equal severity. As the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has noted (see E/CN.4/2004/13) among others, armed groups may also specifically target sex workers, sexual and ethnic minorities and other communities as a tool for "social cleansing" of "undesirable elements". By treating civilians as objects of conflict, the physical and psychological impact of sexual violence may extend beyond immediate survivors and disempower whole communities. Due to the stigma attached to sexual violence, survivors are often forced into silence and excluded from their communities. The impact of sexual violence on the mental health of survivors, as well as their family and community may endure for generations. Sexual violence also compromises the participation of targeted communities in public health efforts long after conflict has ended.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Selected groups of defenders at risk: journalists and media workers, defenders working on land and environment issues; and youth and student defenders 2012, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- When the Special Rapporteur set out her vision for the mandate in 2008 (A/63/288), defenders engaged in student protests were included as a priority. In the light of recent events, notably in the Middle East and North Africa, the Special Rapporteur has decided to take a broad approach to the assessment of youth, including students, working to defend human rights. The number of communications related to this group is relatively low compared to other groups of defenders discussed in this report, but the mandate holder has observed that they are at particular risk, which is likely to increase given recent events, unless specific attention is devoted to their situation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities 2017, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Furthermore, in many parts of the world, girls and young women with disabilities are often entirely excluded from the education system, or otherwise isolated from their communities at home or in institutions, and are without any access to sexuality education. The lack of equal access to inclusive and quality education affects, in particular, girls and young women with disabilities in conflict, post-conflict or other humanitarian situations, especially those who are refugees, internally displaced, migrants or asylum seekers; deprived of their liberty in hospitals, residential institutions, juvenile or correctional facilities; or homeless or living in poverty. Girls and young women in such situations are at heightened risk of being subjected to physical or sexual abuse and contracting sexually transmitted infections.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
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. 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 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. 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 2013, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Addressing the structural causes of fragility to escape "conflict traps" can be achieved only if a country's long-term recovery efforts include priorities for the successful rehabilitation of the lives of conflict-affected children and young people. While there are several reasons why children join armed forces and groups, poverty a lack of education and limited socioeconomic opportunities have been recognized as an important factor for children's association with armed forces and groups in conflict-affected and fragile countries.
- 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
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2014, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Partnerships between concerned Governments, donor countries, the United Nations and civil society must encompass all phases of post-conflict intervention, from recovery to peacebuilding and development. The reintegration needs of children separated from armed forces or groups should be increasingly reflected in peacebuilding strategies with a view to making children and youth programming a foundation for durable peace.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
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.
- 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