• Girl child soldiers

Girl child soldiers

These guidelines reflect the combined experience and thinking of International Save the Children Alliance members who have worked with children associated with armed groups and armed forces. The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance to policy-makers, advocacy initiatives and field-based programmes. It offers a policy framework, drawing out some recommendations based on global lessons learned.

Recommendations from the paper include:

• all programming for children associated with armed groups and armed forces needs to be based on a thorough understanding of the political, socio-economic and cultural context. Where possible, interventions should be community-based, supporting existing protection mechanisms and capacities
• all prevention efforts should respond to the root causes of recruitment and provide children with viable alternatives
• armed groups and forces should be informed about or trained in children’s rights, how they should treat children, and their potential positive role in protecting children
• negotiation with armed groups and forces for the release of children during conflict should be attempted whenever possible, as long as this does not place children at greater risk. It must include girls and, if pregnant, their unborn children
• monitoring of recruitment should take place before and throughout armed conflict and continue after children have been demobilised or ceasefires/peace agreements signed. Experience shows that they can still be at risk of re-recruitment, or re-recruitment by other armed groups or forces. Issues of security for all involved must be taken into account
• Save the Children have identified four key elements that support children’s successful return to their family and community. These are: the child’s relationship with their family and community; their access to education/vocational training; healthcare, including attention to psychological and social issues; and livelihood support
• interim care and reintegration efforts for children who have been associated with armed groups and armed forces should take into account the specific health and development needs of these children, including psychological and social development
• in all programming to prevent recruitment and to assist children associated with armed groups and armed forces, special attention must be paid to identifying, documenting and responding to the specific needs of girls and the threats facing them
• special attention must be paid to assessing and responding to the specific needs of children conceived or born to girls in armed groups or armed forces, as well as to the specific situations which these mothers face
• children should not be prosecuted for their participation in armed groups or armed forces, or for acts committed during their participation.

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