Latest estimates suggest that of the approximately 300,000 children involved in conflicts around the world today, up to 40 per cent (120,000) are girls. These girls are rarely acknowledged and are often hidden by the armed groups. Sometimes the girls are also reluctant to identify themselves. They face discrimination on a daily basis – from their fellow soldiers, commanders, fellow citizens, governments and – perhaps most shocking of all – from the international community.
This report addresses the protection issues for children associated with armed groups and, more specifically, to the largely unrecognised protection requirements of girls. It draws on recent research conducted in the DRC, Rwanda and west Africa, as well as programme experience from Sri Lanka and many of the other countries where Save the Children works. This report shows how girls are being overlooked in current efforts to release children from armed groups and support their return home. It challenges existing systems and argues that the international community must fund programmes designed to meet girls’ needs.
The report covers the following topics:
- children associated with armed groups
- girls associated with armed groups
- gender-based violence during conflict
- returning home
- community support.
The recommendations provided by the report include:
- the international community should support and fund the release of children from armed groups outside formal disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programmes – even during conflict
- the international community must fully fund and deliver on the reintegration component of DDR for children over the long term
- community-led development must be put at the centre of formal DDR programmes for children
- a special pool of funding should be established to meet girls’ specific needs during demobilisation and reintegration. Such funds must be independent of any formal DDR or political processes
- all states should ratify, enforce, monitor and report on international treaties to protect children, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and its optional protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.
©The Save the Children Fund
