Children demand an end to war and conflict

WORLD CHILDREN'S DAY - 20 November 2024

'Stomping for Peace': Children call for end of violence and conflict

"They bomb our homes, our schools, and even our hospitals…we can't move safely, we always feel that our life is under threat. We feel constant fear every day, in addition to sadness, misery, worry, and stress, sleeping problems."

These are the words of 15-year-old Amira (not her real name), who was evacuated from the SOS Children's Village in Rafah, Gaza, to the children's village in Bethlehem. What she says is shocking enough but is particularly poignant given that 20 November marks the 35^th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child (UNCRC). The Convention is designed to protect children by promoting their inalienable rights, especially to life, survival, and development, and protection from violence, abuse and neglect.

More and more children affected by war

But since the signing of the UNCRC, the number of children affected by war has grown substantially. According to research by the Peace Research Institute Oslo and Save the Children, nearly 470 million children globally are now living with the effects of war and conflict, with UNICEF's Children Under Attack report demonstrating that more than 30 million children have been displaced by conflict.

The plain truth is that world leaders are showing an increasingly scant regard for the rules of international humanitarian law applicable to children in armed conflicts, as enshrined in Article 38 of the UNCRC.

Children in war zones face unimaginable hardships: displacement, loss of family, and physical and emotional trauma. Many are enslaved, trafficked, abused and exploited. But SOS Children's Villages are also horrified that there has been near or complete disregard of atrocities against certain groups of children, undertaken on the lines of race, ethnicity and religious background.

'Stomping for Peace' on World Children's Day

SOS Children's Villages believes in the vital importance of child participation and the need for decision-makers to listen to children's voices in their own language. That's why we've organized a campaign of 'Stomping for Peace' to mark World Children's Day on 20 November. Children in 38 countries will be encouraged to literally stomp their feet as a way of highlighting their demand for peace.

'Stop fighting, we want peace,' is their clear message. They and SOS Children's Villages demand accountability for violations of humanitarian law. As our recently published Global Report on Children's Care and Protection makes clear, for various different reasons millions of children across the world are already being separated from their families. War increases the number of these separations. We need a turn of perspective in all conflict related debates, putting child's rights and child protection first. Governments must listen, learn - and act.

'We are going to have to keep relocating'

Children displaced by conflict want to grow up in safety. Since the start of the civil war in Sudan in April 2023, 10.7 million people have been displaced, with 52 percent being children below the age of 18. The children living in the SOS Children's Village in Khartoum have been relocated three times, and are now housed some 500km from the capital. As Limia Ahmed, the deputy director of SOS Children's Villages in Sudan says: "They're growing up with a constant fear of instability. They say 'What if the conflict reaches where we are now? We are going to have to keep relocating'".

Separated children, the most vulnerable of all children affected by emergencies, should not have to spend any part of their childhood in emergency settings. But if they do, they must have access to food, shelter and medical care, including vital mental health and psycho-social support. A priority must be given to keeping families together, and investing in family tracing and family support where families have been separated.

In cases where children and families cannot return to their country, they must receive access to all necessary services. This should include accessible processes to apply for and receive protection status and residence permits. Children should never be detained, nor be separated from their families as part of migration law enforcement.

Post-conflict does not mean the end to trauma

Children also often remain traumatized in post-conflict scenarios. As Teresa Ngigi, SOS Children's Villages Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Advisor makes clear from her experiences in Syria: "When the violence ends, people now come to terms with their wounds. They come to terms with the reality, and people become aggressive - even killing others - and many commit suicide."

Children and their families in post-war countries therefore also need longer term support, coupled with investment in services for children's development. "Psychological healing has to become a prerogative," says Teresa, "It takes a long time because the wounds are so deep."

'They face danger, violence and pain every day'

Conflict can even impact children from countries that are not engaging in hostilities. This is especially so for children whose countries neighbor states at war, but even those across different continents.

Emiel, a young boy from Belgium, told SOS Children's Villages that: "Millions of children live in war and conflict zones. They face danger, violence and pain every day. While I go to school, play and play sports, they have to deal with bombs, the loss of their homes and the loss of their families."

Teresa Ngigi stresses that in both cases it is vital for adults to filter the correct information about war to tell children.

More work needed to prevent and end conflict

By truly listening to children, policymakers can discover innovative solutions they may not have considered, rooted in the unique perspectives of the youngest members of society. But before these solutions can be introduced, the world must work harder to end and prevent conflict.

Perhaps the final word should be given to a young girl from Vienna, Austria who told us that, "I wish there were no more wars. I wish that all children could simply live in peace with their families". Join her and other children on World Children's Day to stomp for peace.