Right to Protection & Reintegration for Girls Associated with Armed Forces & Groups

Convention on the Rights of the
Child

States Parties shall take
all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery
and social reintegration of a child victim of: any form of neglect,
exploitation, or abuse; torture or any other form of cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment; or armed conflicts. Such recovery and
reintegration shall take place in an environment, which fosters the
health, self-respect and dignity of the child. (Article
39)

Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action

Develop and disseminate
research on the physical, psychological, economic and social effects of
armed conflicts on women, particularly young women and girls, with a view
to developing policies and programmes to address the consequences of
conflicts. (E4.146.c)

Geneva Conventions, Additional
Protocol

The special protection provided by international humanitarian law
to children who have not attained the age of 15 years remains applicable
to them if they take a direct part in hostilities (Protocol II,Article
4,d)

The Cape Town
Principles

Child Soldier: Any person under 18 years of age who is part of any
kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity,
including but not limited to cooks, porters, messengers, and anyone
accompanying such groups, other than family
members.

International Conference on
War-Affected Children

Winnipeg, Canada

There is an urgent need of more research into the gender dimension
of armed conflict, particularly as it pertains to girls and armed
conflict. (2000)

Where Are The
Girls?

The kinds of tasks and roles girl soldiers are
allotted and in some cases forced to undertake are part of a larger
planning process deliberately created by those looking to sustain and gain
from armed conflict. Thus, the roles of girl soldiers must be considered
as an integral part of the conflict… (p18)

WGG
on Girl Soldiers

Christian Children’s
Fund (CCF)

More Information

Working
Group on Girls

NGO
Committee on UNICEFUNICEF House, Room  1142

New
York,
New York10017

wggs@girlsrights.org  www.girlsrights.org

Right to Protection
and Reintegration

for Girls Associated
with

Armed Forces and
Groups

Although there is a
greater public awareness of Children Associated with Fighting Forces
(CAFF), relatively little attention has focused specifically on Girls
Associated with Armed Forces and Groups (‘girl soldiers’). Both national
governments and multi-lateral demobilization programs are complicit in
overlooking the issues relating specifically to the girl soldier,
rendering DDR gender-biased and exclusive.

The girl child’s
function as a “soldier” might vary according to any of the following
experiences: armed fighting, combat trainers, mine sweepers, spying,
forced marriage, informants, early motherhood, sex slavery, nursing,
looters, messengers, and food gatherers/cooks. Not acknowledging the
gender specific needs of girl soldiers causes them to be at risk of
maintaining their identity of a soldier, as well as subjecting them to
social stigmatization that would prevent positive prospects with respects
to livelihoods, social roles, and other opportunities. In addition to the
various roles the girl child soldier has, the causes of her incorporation
are equally important. Not all girl soldiers have been abducted, some
chose to join for a variety of reasons: to avoid poverty, to ameliorate
their livelihood, to develop skills, to escape other forms of violence, or
to participate in a unified entity (see Voices,
Keairns).

Governments and
humanitarian aid organizations need to presume the girl soldier exists in
all armed conflicts. This will ensure her incorporation in the DDR
process, addressing her gender-specific and individual experiences of
abduction, forced marriage, prostitution, and early motherhood, forced
contraception and/or abortions, in addition to armed fighting roles.
Traditional DDR programs have inhibited the protection and gender
development needs of the girl soldier.  They need to expand and to include
Prevention, Release, Rehabilitation, and Integration (PRRI), (see Actions on next page). 

PRRI programs that
are gender-specific are necessary for the prevention of continual harm by
men and boys on the girl soldier and their children, as well as attention
to gender-specific issues. For successful reintegration, the girl soldier
needs programs to address job training, education, literacy, medical
attention that includes traditional healing, child agency building,
religious rituals, and facilitation of community support and mediation of
family conflict.

Facts to
Consider

·        
A survey from
1990-2003 found that girl soldiers existed in 55 countries and girl
soldiers were involved in armed conflict in 38 of the countries (girls
younger than 18 years old were surveyed). In 27 countries girl soldiers
are forcefully recruited.  In
14 countries girls were abducted and transported for participation in
armed conflict. (Where are the
Girls,  21-26)

·        
Geneva Conventions of 1949
and Protocols I and II of 1977: protections are
granted to female soldiers without discrimination; provisions detail
gender consideration in order to reduce sexual violence and a provision of
separate accommodations from males.

·        
Girl soldiers (and
their children) are the people-groups at the greatest disadvantage in
armed conflict because of their vulnerable age, their exposure to
heightened sexism, and their lack of inclusion in DDR.

·        
Girl soldiers’ (and
their children’s) inability to reintegrate in society is compounded by
lack of access to education and to reproductive health care, by community
stigmatization and familial or “husband” abandonment, which can be
additionally compounded by single parenting.

Actions to Ensure
effective PRRI

·        
Assessment: Reassess official
DDR programs to include PRRI. Implement a mandatory vulnerability analysis
process. Establish a holistic prevention policy on all levels from family
to societal.

·        
Research/Training: Fund and conduct
comparative gender studies to document community-based program responses
and outcomes for reintegrating girl soldiers and their children as well as
incorporating gender, reproductive health, market analysis, vocational and
business skills, and population issues in PRRI and training of PRRI
implementers (including protection monitoring).

·        
Capacity-building: provision of
interim care and community-based reintegration programs that are gender
sensitive (including conflict resolution, dialogue, and mediation), that
ensure social reintegration (restorative justice), and that meet girl
soldiers’ holistic needs (education, job-training, health, psycho-social
care, non-threatening spiritual rituals, and family
planning).

·        
Advocacy and
Co-ordination Mechanism: Form NGO
partnerships and community groups for establishing effective PRRI
programs.

Sources and Resources
(Bibliography)

·        
http://www.womenwagingpeace.net

·        
http://www.unicef.org/emerg/index_childsoldiers.html

·        
http://www.unfpa.org/

·        
http://www.child-soldiers.org

·        
The
Coalition to Stop Use of Child Soldiers: Global Report
2004

·        
UNFPA:
The Impact of Conflict on Women and
Girls, 2002

·        
UNICEF:
The Impact of Conflict on Women and
Girls in West and Central Africa and the
UNICEF Response, 2005

·        
Where
are the Girls?, Susan
McKay and Dyan Mazurana, Rights & Democracy, 2004 (Where)

·        
The
Voices of Girl Child Soldiers, Yvonne
E. Keairns. Quaker UN Office and Coalition to Stop Use of Child Soldiers:
2002. (Voices)

·        
Breaking
the Silence, Vivi
Stavrou, CCF research project

·        
http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/pdf/crc.pdf

·        
Children
and Armed Conflict: International Standards for Action, Human
Security Network and UN/CAAC, 2003

August
2006