'This really must stop': a more effective monitoring of violations against children in armed conflicts.

• Author: Freedson, Julia

In today's conflicts, civilians are frequently the victims of egregious and horrific violations of their security and rights. Children and adolescents in particular regularly face sexual violence, mutilation, murder and torture, as well as the destruction of their families, communities and civilian infrastructure meant to support them. Children have the right to and require special protection from violent conflict, and this protection is essential to allow conflict-affected communities a chance to survive and rebuild a sustainable peace.

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In 1996, Graca Machel published a ground-breaking study, commissioned by the United Nations, on The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. Her recommendations have led to significant improvement in policies and programmes to protect them, which include: the UN Security Council adopted five resolutions relating to the protection of children in armed conflicts, deeming this a matter of international peace and security; the United Nations appointed a Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict; and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) created the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict to respond to the need for better monitoring of and reporting on the impact of conflicts on children.

For many years, UN Member States and agencies and NGOs alike have agreed that one of the primary measures to protect children's security and rights during conflict is to develop an effective reporting system within the UN system. It should be able to communicate quickly and effectively the reality of abuses taking place on the ground to those who have the power to take action, such as the Security Council. Due to the absence of a well-coordinated system within the world Organization to monitor and report on violations against children, international policy makers often have insufficient knowledge to rely on as they devise plans that could be the first step in ending abuses. At the same time, many front-line workers who experience and witness abuses may feel disconnected, hopeless or ignored by the outside world.

Local NGOs with first-hand access to information about violations against children and adolescents often do not have a clear and effective channel to inform decision makers. At the same time, policy makers far removed from conflict situations often struggle to make decisions based on too little information. Sadly, without an adequate exchange of clear and reliable information, effective...