Lessons in War 2015
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Lessons in War 2015 Military Use of Schools and Universities during Armed Conflict Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack GCPEA Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) was established in 2010 by organizations from the fields of education in emergencies and conflict-affected fragile states, higher education, protection, international human rights, and international humanitarian law who were concerned about ongoing attacks on educational institutions, their students, and staff in countries affected by conflict and insecurity. GCPEA is governed by a steering committee made up of the following international organizations: CARA (Council for at-Risk Academics), Human Rights Watch, the Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund, Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict, Save the Children, UNESCO, UNHCR, and UNICEF. GCPEA is a project of the Tides Center, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. This study is the result of an independent external study commissioned by GCPEA. It is independent of the individual member organizations of the Steering Committee of GCPEA and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Steering Committee member organizations. Lessons in War 2015 Military Use of Schools and Universities during Armed Conflict May 2015 Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack CONTENTS Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................5 Key Findings .................................................................................................................................14 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................15 1. Methodology and Definitions ..................................................................................................19 Methodology ............................................................................................................................19 Definitions ...............................................................................................................................20 2. Background: Education during Times of Conflict .......................................................................21 Ongoing Access to Education is Life-Saving and Life-Sustaining ..................................................21 3. The Nature of the Use of Education Institutions by Armed Forces and Armed Groups .................22 How Armed Forces and Armed Groups Use Education Institutions ..............................................22 Partial Use versus Full Occupation .............................................................................................22 Military Presence to Protect Education Institutions, Students, Teachers, or Election Polling ........28 Military Use of Schools in Situations of Insecurity ......................................................................29 Reasons Education Institutions are Used by Armed Forces and Armed Groups ............................29 Historical Perspective ................................................................................................................31 4. Prevalence and Scale of Armed Forces and Armed Groups Using Education Institutions ..............32 Parties that Use Education Institutions ......................................................................................33 Scale of Use of Education Institutions ........................................................................................33 5. Consequences of Military Use of Education Institutions: Endangering Students’ and Teachers’ Safety ............................................................................35 Students, Teachers, and Scholars under Fire ..............................................................................35 Exposure to Physical and Sexual Violence .................................................................................38 Forced Labor ............................................................................................................................39 6. Consequences of Military Use of Education Institutions: Endangering Students’ Education ...........................................................................................40 Students Drop-Out or Excluded from Studies .............................................................................40 Destruction of Infrastructure ......................................................................................................41 Loss of Educational Material .....................................................................................................42 Increased Psychosocial Concerns ..............................................................................................43 Overcrowding ...........................................................................................................................43 Lower Rates of Enrollment and Transition ..................................................................................44 Inferior Education Quality at Alternative Sites ............................................................................44 Inappropriate Educational Environments ...................................................................................45 Specific Impact on Girls ............................................................................................................45 Heightened Negative Consequences for Poor Students ..............................................................46 Negative Effects for Teachers ....................................................................................................46 Use of Abandoned Schools .......................................................................................................47 7. Positive Initiatives to Address Armed Forces’ and Armed Groups’ Use of Education Institutions .................................................................................................48 United Nations Security Council ................................................................................................48 Human Rights Treaty Bodies ......................................................................................................50 Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict .........51 Data Collection, Negotiation, and Advocacy ...............................................................................51 Use of Satellite Imagery and Social Media Forensic Analysis .......................................................53 National Legislation Banning or Restricting Armed Forces Use of Education Institutions ..............53 National Court Decisions Banning or Restricting Armed Forces’ Use of Education Institutions ......54 Military Policies Banning or Restricting Armed Forces’ Use of Education Institutions ...................55 Commitments by Non-State Armed Actors ..................................................................................57 International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement .................................................................57 Information Campaigns ............................................................................................................58 Provision of Alternative Temporary Learning Spaces ...................................................................58 Community Initiatives ...............................................................................................................58 Lack of Civilian Control over Forces ............................................................................................60 8. International Law Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use ..................................61 International Humanitarian Law .................................................................................................61 The Legality of Attacks on Education Institutions Used by Armed Forces or Armed Groups ...........62 International and Regional Human Rights Law ...........................................................................62 9. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................64 Appendix 1: Analysis of Use of Education Institutions 2005 –2015 ..................................................65 Appendix 2: Incident Sources, by Country ......................................................................................68 Researchers .................................................................................................................................78 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................79 “We have a war at school.” Student, Yemen i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Lessons in War 2015 Military Use of Schools and Universities during Armed Conflict A Free Syrian Army fighter aims his weapon as he takes up a defensive position inside a school in Sheikh Maksoud area in Aleppo. © 2013 REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack A girl student leaves al-Furadh School, in Sanaa, Yemen, at the end EXECUTIVE SUMMARY of the day. Soldiers relax and chew qat outside the school walls. They lived in third-floor classrooms for several months, students Schools and universities should