Projects

Training of Mali’s Armed Forces on the Protection of Children in Armed Conflict

Crédit photo: 123FR/Piccaya

Project Duration : 2013 - 2014

For over a decade, the IBCR has dedicated itself to training defence and security forces on the rights of children in armed conflict. This involvement has led to the publication, in 2010, of Children and Armed Conflict: A Guide to International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law and to the organisation of training sessions for defence and security forces in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. In collaboration with the United Nations’ Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the IBCR has produced some 225 training tools for peacekeepers and developed child protection training modules for UN police deployed in peacekeeping missions throughout the world. It is in this context that the IBCR initiated a partnership with UNICEF Mali in 2013 aimed at developing training sessions for Mali’s armed forces

Goals :

Armed conflict leads to physical and psychological violence toward children, which can be irreversible: wounds, abuse, recruitment, separation, poor hygiene conditions, delays in schooling, etc. Malian soldiers are responsible for protecting girls and boys from this ordeal, under any and all circumstances. To do so, soldiers must take into account a child’s best interests and respect his or her rights, as stated in the country’s international standards and laws, when performing their duty.

This is why the IBCR developed a course on the protection of children in armed conflict for Mali’s armed forces, so that they always keep children’s best interests top of mind during peacekeeping operations.

As part of the European-led capacity building plan for Mali’s armed forces, UNICEF was given the opportunity to include a one-hour awareness training session on child protection during a course for active soldiers. UNICEF mandated the Bureau to develop a one-hour practical course, made up of six key messages and several images, to simplify knowledge transfer. Then, the Bureau trained UNICEF staff so that they could teach the course in the field to soldiers participating in the capacity building plan.