Protecting Children Affected by Armed Conflict: Accountability for Monitoring, Reporting, and Response

Abstract

Protecting Children Affected by Armed Conflict – Accountability for Monitoring, Reporting and Response: This article examines the creation of a system for monitoring and reporting of grave violations of children's rights in armed conflicts, which was first recognized as a key priority in the 1996 Machel Study on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. Since then, the Security Council has been focusing on the issue of children and armed conflict, which culminated in the adoption of Resolution 1612 in 2005 and the subsequent formal establishment of a monitoring and reporting mechanism. The Security Council today is more actively engaged on issues related to children and armed conflict than any other thematic issue, and a clear link between its peace and security agenda and the concern over children and armed conflict has been established. This article reviews the evolution of the mechanism for monitoring, reporting and response to issues facing children in armed conflict, and analyzes situations where it has been implemented in practice. Particular attention is paid to the way that this mechanism has addressed accountability among those who commit crimes against children as well as those who seek to protect them. While progress has been made, the mechanism is still young and there are a number of challenges and uncertainties in bringing about real changes in the lives of children affected by armed conflict.