War in My Back Yard? Issues and Action Around Children and Armed Conflict World Vision

war in my back yard?

issues and action around children and armed conflict briefing Policy Team, World Vision UK April 2002

2 World Vision is a Christian relief and development agency which aims to provide the most effective ways to help the world’s poor build a better future for themselves and their children. With 85 member organisations working in nearly 100 countries, World Vision supports relief and development projects throughout the developing world.

World Vision considers advocacy and education a key component of its role, and this paper is one of many which aim to increase the awareness amongst UK policy makers of important humanitarian concerns.

The Policy Team of World Vision UK can be contacted by telephone on (01908) 841032 or by fax on (01908) 841015

Randini Wanduragala Head of Policy Heidi Keme Child Rights Policy Analyst Stuart Kean Development Policy Analyst Helen Ryman Policy Associate Helen Foakes Policy Associate

3 War In My Back Yard? Issues and Action around Children and Armed Conflict

This briefing paper:  outlines why the issue of children and armed conflict is so significant in terms of child rights and international peace and security, and where local and global responsibilities lie  examines the effects of war upon children, both in military roles and other circumstances  gives World Vision’s experience in working with war-affected children  makes urgent recommendations that individuals, the UK government and the international community must act upon to ensure that no child suffers as a result of war the issue of children and armed conflict

‘My message for the world’s children is that we are the seeds of tomorrow…If we are the seeds of peace, if we think and act in peace, then violence and wars can be ended and not started. But for this to happen, adults must not be violent against us. Otherwise, when we grow up we will act in the same way, and the violence will continue.’ Eder David Contreras, age 11, Child Peace Builders, Colombia

Eder David’s message challenges the view that certain aspects of war, including the suffering of children, have to be tolerated in order to maintain international peace and human security. The consequences of taking this view are widely visible, with media images and reports giving an insight into the harsh effects of war on children and their communities. Yet is this situation really unavoidable, and really acceptable?

With steadily increasing numbers of children dying during armed conflict, what has happened to their right to life and a childhood? With 300,000 child soldiers fighting wars and countless others in support roles, what is happening to their minds and bodies? With 25 million children uprooted from their homes as a result of conflict – what will happen to their education and their future?

Child Soldiers Global Report 2001, Campaign to Stop the Use of Child World Vision believes that children and young people have no place in war and should not have to suffer as a result of war. international recognition and a repeat call to action – the Machel Review

There has been growing international concern about the above statistics, and the tragic individual stories behind each and every one. Modern warfare is increasingly recognised as much more complex, presenting fresh challenges in ensuring that children’s rights are respected and the root causes of conflict are tackled. The strength of international concern specifically for children affected by war was demonstrated when the UN General Assembly commissioned a report1 on the impact of armed conflict on children. This report was followed by a review of progress made and new obstacles faced.2 It included the following key observations:

 Children have no place in war, and this is a human rights issue that affects us all: ‘The impact of armed conflict on children is everyone’s responsibility and must be everyone’s concern’ (Machel, 2000). Therefore governments, non-state groups, companies, communities and individuals should ensure that their actions fully respect the child’s right to be free from the harmful effects of war.

1 Machel, G, (1996), The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, Report of the expert of the Secretary-General, Ms. Graça Machel, A/51/306, http://www.un.org/00/ga/docs/51/plenary/A51-306.EN 2 Machel, G, (2000) The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children - Review of progress made and obstacles encountered in increasing protection for war-affected children (launched at the Winnipeg Conference on War- Affected Children, September 2000), www.waraffectedchildren.gc.ca/ 4 5  War affects all children, not only child soldiers. This includes children in support roles, such as porters, cooks and army ‘wives’, as well as those who become refugees and/or lose their family.

 The detrimental impacts upon children tend to be both physical and psychosocial, hindering the development process and preventing children from reaching their full potential.

 Certain groups of children are likely to be especially vulnerable, for example girl children and children with disabilities. Those whose work will have an impact on children must receive appropriate child protection training.

 As part of their right to live a life free from violence, children should be considered ‘zones of peace’ and should be actively involved in the peace building agenda.

 There is a real need for increased, high-quality information on the issue of war- affected children, as well as further monitoring and reporting on child rights violations. Four years later, Machel highlighted the lack of progress on the above, and the consequent need for urgent action: ‘Our promises to children remain unfulfilled. This review is a second urgent call to action... a desperate plea for the compassion, the commitment and the tenacity needed to protect children from the atrocities of war...

Our collective failure to protect children must be transformed into an opportunity to confront the problems that cause their suffering.’ Machel Review (2000)

World Vision actively supports this ongoing call to action in our programmes and in our international advocacy work. We urge all governments to raise their standards of protection for children affected by armed conflict to the highest possible level. key international standards, and the role of the UN Special Representative

The most current international standards3 offer different types of protection for war-affected children. They include4:

 The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (1989): This is the key global child rights standard, applying equally to war as to peacetime.

 The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OP-CAC) (2000): The Protocol is designed to strengthen provision made in the CRC for the protection of children in armed conflict, including raising the age of participation in direct hostilities from 15 to 18.

 ILO Convention 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (1999): This International Labour Organisation Convention defines ‘forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict’ as ‘one of the worst forms of child labour’. Only a small number of governments have yet to ratify, thereby making the Convention legally binding worldwide.

 The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998): The Statute is significant in that certain actions by armed forces are now considered prosecutable war crimes, for example, rape. War crimes against children are listed, including the conscription and/or active participation in hostilities of children under the age of 15.

3 Preceding these are the 4th Geneva Protocol on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949) and its two additional protocols, on the Protection of Victims of International and Non-International Armed Conflict (1977) respectively. 4 CRC (1989) (A/RES/44/25) , OP-CAC (2000) (A/RES/54/263) , UN Security Council Resolution 1379 (S/RES/1379) (2001) 6  UN Security Council Resolutions: Various resolutions have been passed relating to children and armed conflict5. Most recently, number 1379 (2001) took a step forward by requiring the UN Secretary General, in his regular report to the UN Security Council, to list those countries or parties involved in armed conflict who recruit or use children in violation of their international obligations.

The above standards will only make a difference to the lives of children if they are adequately enforced, which will require rigorous monitoring. In 1997, the UN took the significant step of appointing a Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, currently Mr Olara Otunnu, whose global mission is to promote the protection, rights and welfare of children pre, during and post-conflict6.

World Vision, as a long-term advocate for the rights of war-affected children, supports Mr Otunnu’s role. We are currently working with a number of organisations on the groundbreaking Watch List on Children and Armed Conflict7 that aims to monitor and report on both country specific and more widespread violations against children in situations of war or conflict. The Watch List should aid decision makers to better fulfil their obligation of protecting children in war. The Watch List is also a vehicle for identifying emerging challenges, for example, protecting children from sexual exploitation in war, or dealing with child war crimes. the harmful effects of war upon children

Graça Machel sums up the various dangers children can and do face:

‘War violates every right of a child – the right to life, the right to be with family and community, the right to health, the right to the development of the personality and the right to be nurtured and protected.’ Graça Machel The various effects of war on children are now outlined. This is key to understanding the recommendations at the end of this paper. children in military roles: child soldiers and children in support roles

Estimates suggest that up to 300,000 young people under the age of 18 are currently being used as child soldiers in over 30 areas of conflict around the world8. They witness and are expected to commit acts of violence: ‘I planted landmines, stopped vehicles, set homes on fire and destroyed crops…What troubled me the most was when a child got too tired, we captives were ordered to kill them’.9 The availability of small arms, easily used by children, has increased the toll upon civilian life10. Exposure to violence, in addition to the already significant stress caused by the separation from family members, manifests itself in psychosocial stress: ‘At home I feared sleeping in my bed. At night I would get bad dreams and wake up shouting and sweating.’11

Children in support roles also face extreme violence. Girls are very often recruited as army ‘wives’ to be exploited as sex slaves. Other children may be exposed to the danger of physical injury and disability. ‘I was given mortar shells to carry…They were very heavy and I feared that they might explode at any time’12. Some young people are used in landmine clearance, or become victims of mines, and as a result suffer from social exclusion and an inability to take part in everyday life: ‘Before, I could also go to the market and do shopping… I used to play football,

5 Essex University, Children and Armed Conflict Unit, www.essex.ac.uk/armedcon/international/UN/seccouncil/Text/resolutions.htm 6 For details of Mr Otunnu’s role, see: Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict (A/55/422), (October 2000), p 3 7 See: www.womenscommission.org 8 Child Soldiers Global Report 2001, Coalition To Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, pp 21-36 9 Robinson, O, in World Vision News (December 1999), pp. 10-11. 10 World Vision UK (1999) Children in Armed Conflict, Position Paper, p 8 11 J A, age 16, in: World Vision International (1996), The Effect of Armed Conflict on Girls. A discussion paper for the UN Study on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, p 33 12 Pamela, age 13, in World Vision, Orange Planet (2001) ‘Stolen Childhoods…Children Under Fire’, p 5-6 7 but not any more’13. While international legislation has helped to reduce the use of anti-personnel mines, the next generation of mine-like devices, for example anti-vehicle mines, are not regulated in this way and are proving to be lethal to children14. other effects of war on children

Due to conflict or human rights violations, around 25 million children have lost their homes, either displaced as refugees or within their own country15. As family life is disrupted, the physical and social pressures on children increase16. Children become increasingly vulnerable to hunger, disease and poor health, and breastfeeding may stop altogether. HIV/AIDS prevention strategies are significantly disrupted by war, as is the opportunity to go to school. War-affected girls face a lack of adequate reproductive health care, and again, the loss of family leaves them more vulnerable to sexual violence, prostitution and early marriage17.

World Vision’s response

World Vision has worked with war-affected children for almost 50 years. We have developed innovative, holistic programmes to address violations against children affected by armed conflict. preventing children’s involvement in armed conflict

World Vision’s area development programmes play a strong role in promoting cultures of solidarity and reversing cultures of violence. For example, research in Ethiopia has suggested a link between a drop in gun-related violence and the impact of World Vision’s community development programmes18.

In Lebanon, El Salvador, Peru and Guatemala, World Vision is working with communities where children have lost relatives and homes due to conflict. Often there is suspicion between groups accused of supporting one side or the other. When peace returns, communities begin to identify the things they would like to change to build a better future for themselves and their children. In this way strategies for preventing future conflict are being established.

World Vision Cambodia’s Children of War programme brought together local interest groups, children’s clubs, non-governmental organisations and the Cambodian authorities to strengthen the community’s ability to identify and respond to the needs and rights of children, including those who have been affected by armed conflict. The programme makes special provision for vulnerable groups, for example, girls and female-headed households. rehabilitation of children affected by armed conflict, including peace building

In Kosovo, World Vision, in association with UNICEF, is working with communities to build their first multi-ethnic school and to design a special curriculum with a focus on human rights and respect for others. In Bosnia, World Vision’s Creative Activities for Trauma Healing programme is using art, dance, drama and sport to reach out to children affected by the conflict. In Rwanda, young people organised a Conference called ‘Promotion of Reconciliation through Arts among Youth’. These young people are at the centre of promoting healing, reconciliation and peace building in their country.

In Uganda, World Vision’s Gulu children’s centre and Kiyandango farm training centre assist children who have been freed after abduction and brutalisation as child soldiers. Children receive

13 Pinto, age 12, in World Vision, Orange Planet (2001), op cit 14 Landmine Action &The German Initiative to Ban Landmines, Alternative Anti-Personnel Mines. The Next Generations www.landmine action.org 15 Protecting Refugees, UN Refugee Service, (UNHCR), www.unhcr.ch 16 International Save the Children Alliance (1996), Promoting Psychosocial Well-Being Among Children Affected By Armed Conflict and Displacement 17 Ibid Note 9, Alfredson, L, (December 2001), Sexual Exploitation of Child Soldiers, An Exploration and Analysis of Global Dimensions and Trends in Child Soldiers Newsletter, Issue 2, pp 6-9 18 O’Reilly-Calthrop, S, & Eshete, T, (September 2000), Silent Revolution – The Role of Community Development in Reducing the Demand for Small Arms 8 health care and psychosocial support, learn to look after themselves in the security of daily routines and tasks and acquire skills that will help them to earn a living. Staff assist with the process of reintegrating children into their communities and provide expert help in difficult and complex situations, for example when children have been sexually exploited. international advocacy to strengthen protection for children affected by armed conflict

World Vision continues to lobby at the UN level for universal child protection standards, in order to maximise protection for children affected by armed conflict . As part of this work, we are calling for the expanded use of Child Protection Advisors on all UN peacekeeping missions. The Advisor’s role has proved successful in ensuring that children’s interests are not marginalised and in raising the profile of children within UN Security Council discussions19, but to date the appointment of Child Protection Advisors has regrettably been the exception rather than the rule.

World Vision is also calling on the UN Security Council to do more to ensure the implementation of child protection measures20, for example, through the Geneva Convention prohibitions against attacks on schools, hospitals and places where children congregate. Such places should be treated as unassailable ‘zones of peace’. Similarly, children should have access to ‘days of tranquillity’, for example for immunisations and health care provision21. the role of advocacy in the UK

World Vision welcomes recent indications that the UK Government will be withdrawing under 18s from involvement in hostilities. Yet much more needs to be done. The UK Government plays an influential role in the international community and faces the significant responsibility of modelling and promoting the highest child rights standards. For this reason, World Vision, as part of the UK Coalition To Stop the Use of Child Soldiers 22 has been campaigning for the UK Government to:

 set a date for ratification of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (2000) and remove the current Declaration that still allows under 18s to take part in hostilities under certain circumstances.

 work towards the non-recruitment of under 18s, as the ultimate safeguard against risking children’s lives in direct hostilities.

Adopting these recommendations will:  ensure that children and young people in the UK are not prematurely exposed to war.  be consistent with UK law, which sets the age of civil responsibility at 18 years. It is ironic that young people cannot vote yet are able to die for their country.  set the highest international standard and will therefore contribute towards protecting the youngest and most vulnerable children globally from the effects of war. For example, in the many countries where children do not possess legal documents to prove their age, a 13 year old may be taken for 15 but is unlikely to be mistaken as an 18 year old. conclusion

‘I tell you, you cannot feel the pain of this suffering if you don’t see it physically. If you only glance at it, a sword of sorrow will pierce your heart… What on earth is it that man today does not care for his fellow humans?’ Ugandan schoolgirl

19 For example, S/RES/1270, Sierra Leone (1999), and S/RES/1279, Democratic Republic of Congo (1999) 20 Gow, M, Vandergrift, K, Wanduragala, R, March 2000, The Right to Peace: Children and Armed Conflict 21 These concepts have been developed by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC). www.unhcr.ch, www.icrc.org 22 UK members include: Amnesty International UK Section, Anti-Slavery International, Aviva, Jesuit Refugee Service, Pax Christi, Peace Pledge Union, Quaker Peace and Social Witness, UNICEF UK, and World Vision UK. 9 World Vision’s briefing paper gives a voice to children affected by armed conflict. It urges every everyone - women, men, children and young people, government leaders, UN representatives, members of the local and business community, and others to play their much needed part in ensuring that children globally are spared from the atrocities of war. World Vision’s suggestions for action follow.

10 War in my Back Yard? Children and Armed Conflict World Vision’s Suggestions for Action

World Vision emphasises once more that the UK Government must:

 Set a date for the ratification of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (2000) and remove the current Declaration on deployment of under 18s in hostilities.

 Work towards the non-recruitment of under 18s as the ultimate safeguard against risking children’s lives in direct hostilities.

World Vision supporters, including children and young people

 Write to your local Member of Parliament, explain your concerns, and ask them to contact Mr Geoff Hoon, Secretary of State for Defence, urging the UK Government to adopt the two recommendations above. Please let World Vision know how you get on by e-mailing [email protected].

 Give a talk on children and armed conflict in your community or church. Use this briefing paper and other resources from our World Vision websites. Start at www.worldvision.org, and click through to World Vision UK, Canada and Australia.

 Sign-up to receive fortnightly updates on current affairs by e-mail from www.worldvision.uk (Click on ‘Church Action’).

 For further information on World Vision’s peacebuilding work with children and communities call 01908 841086

UK Members of Parliament

 Show your support for ratification of the Optional Protocol by signing Early Day Motion 502 (3rd December 2001)23. Present your concerns to Geoff Hoon MP and other key ministers.

 Support the work of World Vision and The Campaign To Stop The Use Of Child Soldiers in our awareness raising and parliamentary events. For details of the Child Soldiers Update, published quarterly by the Campaign, call Jo Trevor, Parliamentary Officer on 01908 84 10 00.

 Urge the UK Government to put pressure on the UN Security Council to implement Resolution 131424, (2000) which expresses a readiness ‘to continue to include, where appropriate, child protection advisors in future peacekeeping operations’.

Department for International Development

 Increase support for programmes that:

. incorporate children and young people’s participation in peacebuilding at all stages of conflict. . pay special attention to the rights and needs of girls and use community-based approaches to deal with the psychosocial impacts of conflict. . replace the economic incentives for participating in conflict with other means of economic livelihood and survival for young people.

23 http://edm.ais.co.uk/weblink/html/motion.html/ref=502 24 (S/RES/1314) (2000) 11 . include child-specific demobilisation and reintegration efforts.