Training Manual on Child Rights and Child Protection for UNIFIL Peacekeepers

War is part of everyday life for millions of children. Some have never known any other life while others live in the midst of civil wars, armed insurgency, and/ or under long-term occupation by a foreign army. For others, the world is suddenly turned upside down when invasion or ethnic cleansing forces them onto the roads as refugees or displaced persons, often separated from their families.

Military personnel and other armed groups in conflict situations are mandated in International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to protect the rights of children who are the most vulnerable during and after conflict. Yet on many occasions, soldiers from regular and non-state forces including peacekeepers have been accused of contributing to the exploitation and abuse of children’s rights in their area of responsibility.

This manual is an easy tool designed by Save the Children Sweden to help UNIFIL peacekeepers to promote and protect children’s rights within its mission, taking into consideration that, for the time being, UNIFIL’s mission does not include a Child Protection mandate.