Children living amidst hostilities are facing different risks based on identity factors and a new analysis released today sheds light on the importance of better understanding the gender dimensions of child rights violations during armed conflict to inform prevention and response strategies.
“With this first study, we understand that integrating a gender perspective in the implementation of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate can contribute to a better comprehension of the impact of unseen gender norms and biases when it comes to the protection of children,” the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, said. “The study further shows that dedicating adequate resources to the gender analysis of grave violations against children in armed conflict can help expose how gender is being instrumentalized in different conflict settings – and ensure that we are better equipped at responding and preventing grave violations,” Virginia Gamba added.
The information gathered in the study emphasizes the significance of understanding the interlinked nature of grave violations against children for holistic, age-appropriate and gender-responsive prevention and response. It provides tangible evidence on how children are affected differently by conflict based on their gender and other identity-based characteristics including ethnicity, race, religion, caste, ability, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
The analysis includes interviews with Members of the Country Task Forces on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMRs) as well as consultations with gender and child protection experts from five countries on the Children and Armed Conflict agenda: Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Yemen.
