The punishment inflicted on children in times of armed conflict goes beyond the immediate risk to their safety and health. Aside from having to dodge bullets and explosives, children must also survive the consequences of the violence they encounter, including hunger and malnutrition, homelessness, separation from significant others, interruption if not elimination of formal education, and the psychological and emotional trauma of danger and deprivation.
Indeed, though they may not wear uniforms or bear arms (though many are forced to do so as child soldiers), children make up a large portion of the civilian casualties in times of war and conflict. And the damage done to their psyches can be expected to last well beyond the cessation of hostilities. The opportunities lost, the scars on their mental and emotional health, the lingering nightmares and mistrust—these may very well last a lifetime.
Case in point are the children of Mindanao, which has been a hotspot of armed conflict for decades. Generations have lived under the shadow of war. And the fighting continues. Unicef, the UN agency for children, says that from January to October last year, approximately 160,000 persons were displaced in Mindanao due to armed conflict and crime and violence — half of them children.
The five-month-long Marawi crisis of 2017 sent almost the entire city population fleeing to find shelter in evacuation centers or with relatives living nearby. Some families were even forced to relocate in faraway places, including in one case to Boracay where the six-month closure forced the Marawi refugees to flee once more in search of security and livelihood.
Their suffering continues. Two years after the last of the marauders were driven out, residents of Marawi are still waiting to be allowed back in and start rebuilding their lives. Meanwhile, they remain in what were supposed to be temporary shelters, with the children paying an especially heavy price as they have yet to return to proper schools and recover their sense of normalcy.
One bright spot has been the passage last January of the “Children in Situations of Armed Conflict” (CSAC) law (Republic Act No. 11188) and the completion recently of the law’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR). Unicef supported the government’s Inter Agency Committee for the CSAC, led by the Council for the Welfare of Children, in the nationwide consultation process and drafting of the IRR.
Among the more important features of this law is the adoption of an expanded definition of schools and hospitals/health facilities, to provide wider protection for these civilian facilities and serve as a stronger deterrent against attacks on these structures, including places of worship. Corollary to this is the expansion of the definition of Zones of Peace, not limited to “demilitarized zones” but also extending to any community site of sacred, historic, cultural or environmental importance.
The law also includes gender-specific provisions on access of girls to education as well as to menstrual hygiene management packs and services. More broadly, it upholds the rights of children to be treated as victims, and affords immunity from suit for persons providing assistance.
Armed conflict renders children vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups, trafficking, other forms of violence against children. Data gathered by the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting show that the most recurrent grave violations are recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming of children, and attacks on schools. In these instances, boys are deemed more vulnerable, with 70 percent of the verified cases of recruitment and forced servitude involving boys.
Certainly, with the law and IRR in place, the status of children in situations of armed conflict has a greater chance of being protected, and measures taken on their behalf easier to implement. For Unicef, peace-building is basic to the safekeeping of children during times of conflict. Religious leaders and youth networks, among others, need to be engaged to help communities understand the risks and consequences of joining armed groups, and learn nonviolent ways of resolving conflicts and reconciling divided societies.
A culture of peace and a society in peace provide the best environment where children will not only be kept safe, but also thrive and reach their full potential.