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Recruitment into armed forces, groups and gangs
The recruitment of girls and boys by a variety of armed actors is recognized as one of the most egregious violations of children's rights. Children are targeted for recruitment because of a number of reasons: they are easier to control and manipulate, they look to adults to protect them, they are seen as cheap substitutes for adult soldiers and children can handle and carry weapons with high impact as a result of the development of small arms.
The involvement may be forced or voluntary. The children take on a range of roles including fighting, acting as spies or messengers, cooks and porters, to lay mines, as suicide bombers and for sexual purposes. Usually unpaid, they are performing tasks adults do not want to do and may also be coerced into carrying out grotesque acts of violence, including killing family members. In cases where children join voluntarily, they may do so to get food and shelter in a chaotic existence where attacks, abuse and poverty might have become the rule. Children can also join for cultural or ideological reasons or get influenced by the peer pressure that often occurs in war zones. Some children could be driven by the desire for vengeance against those who have carried out atrocities against their family.
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Key Messages and Considerations for Programming for Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups During the COVID-19 Pandemic (v.1)
Children who remain with an armed group are at constant risk of physical, psychological and sexual violence, and even death. It is therefore crucial to prevent the recruitment of children to armed groups, but also to focus efforts on separating children f
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Venezuela Regional Migration Crisis: Who are the children most at risk?
Since 2014, over 10% of the population of Venezuela has left the country (3.4 million), triggering substantial cross-border outflows of people in the region. The number leaving is likely to reach more than 5 million people by the end of 2019 (UNHCR 2018).
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Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism Programming on Men, Women, Boys and Girls
The literature stresses the importance of taking a gendered approach in Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) programming. Women’s participation can bring different perceptions and experiences, and ensure increased effectiveness and broader reac
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Peace for my Homeland Mali: Voice and visibility for children affected by armed conflict
Child participation is one of Save the Children’s thematic areas in accordance with Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which recognises that children have a right to have their views heard and considered. This implies that c
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Rädda Barnen Dokumentär: Unga på flykt i Centralamerika- att fly för sitt liv
Hundratusentals unga har under de senaste åren lämnat sina hem i Centralamerika. De flyr från fruktade gäng eller lämnar ett liv i fattigdom med drömmar om ett bättre liv i USA. Men resan mot USA är lång och fylld av risker, och för de som lyckas ta sig h
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Peace for my Homeland Mali: Lessons learnt report from consultations held in Mali
The ICPAPSA project, apart from amplifying the voices of children affected by conflict, also seeks to strengthen and expand Save the Children’s expertise on child participation through the documentation and sharing of best practices and forward thinking t
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CPMS Video Series: Standard 11, Children associated with armed forces or armed groups
This video provides an overview of Standard 11:Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups (CAAFAG) of the CPMS (Child Protection Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Action). When using these videos, we strongly recommend you refer to the attached
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"This Isn't the Life for You": Masculinities and nonviolence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Low-income, young, black men are overwhelmingly affected by various forms of violence in Rio de Janeiro. This research report, published by Promundo, examines the often under-researched relationship between this violence and gender norms. In particular, t
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Why Young Syrians Choose to Fight: Vulnerability and resilience to recruitment by violent extremist groups in Syria
International Alert, one of the world’s leading peacebuilding organisations with 30 years of experience, has published this qualitative report on what makes young Syrians vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups in the Syrian conflict and explores so
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Education and Healthcare at Risk: Key trends and incidents affecting children's access to healthcare and education in Afghanistan
Conflict in Afghanistan continues to have harsh consequences for children, who account for a quarter of all civilian casualties, are recruited and used by parties to the conflict, or suffer abduction by parties to the armed conflict. This report, publishe
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Violence, Children and Organized Crime
In this report, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights examines inequality, social exclusion, and violence in the Americas, Latin America and the Caribbean. This report shows that the conditions in which children and adolescents live, in contexts w
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Children in Armed Conflict Accountability Framework: A framework for advancing accountability for serious violations against children in armed conflict
This Framework is intended to be a practical resource that promotes accountability for serious violations of international law committed against children in armed conflict (CAC accountability). The Framework responds to the significant gap that exists in