Context

4. Toward an African Regional Strategy

This conference was a first step in identifying the issues that should be addressed by an eventual UNICEF strategy to lessen the impact on children of the increased availability of small arms and light weapons in African countries.

I. Context

The number of arms available in African communities is on the rise. Small arms and light weapons are serving as tools for armed conflict and armed rebellion. They are used increasingly to replace more traditional methods of conflict resolution and mediation. Their presence is adversely affecting the participation of children and youth in social systems. Small arms and light weapons in Africa exacerbate ethnic, clan, and religious intolerance.

The situation is further aggrava ted by the inability of youth to find belonging and identity, by unemployment, by poor access to education and by weak law enforcement structures. In many African communities small arms are seen as the only mode of defense of self, family and livelihood. The trend of children being armed by group leaders, families and communities, or arming themselves, is growing.

Poverty in Africa is the primary source of demand for small arms and light weapons. For many African children and youth, arms provide income; they can be traded for commodities such as food or used to protect livelihoods or gain access to goods and money for survival. Children familiar with small arms and light weapons in Africa are almost guaranteed places in violent factions. Local weapons markets and armed factions readily supply small arms and light weapons to children. Arms in Africa either come from developed countries new, or they are recycled from country to country in the region. Abandoned stocks are often sold by officials due to ineffective regulation of arms held by militaries and other armed groups.

In the case of large scale armed conflicts, the impact on children is even worse. Violence, injuries, death, long-term psychosocial problems and far-reaching social and economic consequences are some of the ways in which they are affec ted . The culture of violence is self-perpetuating and can lead to high crime rates, including domestic and sexual violence, and vigilantism. Violence incapacitates familial and social structures responsible for health and other services, which are then unable to deal with the effects. Security is threatened and social and political stability remain a distant reality.

II. Lessons learned

Addressing issues rela ted to small arms and light weapons within the context of their work on behalf of children is a new approach for many of UNICEF’s country offices. Lessons from other programming, as well as the experiences of partner organizations, provided important guiding lessons at the Accra workshop for UNICEF in its work relating to small arms, children and youth.

The key guiding lessons drawn from the group are summarized below:

Working with partners

UNICEF country offices in Africa , through leading and supporting efforts on behalf of children and small arms at the policy level, have a long history of working in partnership with host countries and non-governmental organizations. Experiences can be carried over to work relating to small arms, children and youth, such as:

• Identifying comparative advantages and using these to best effect, recognizing that some organizations may be better sui ted to implementing certain activities than UNICEF itself.

Youth participation

The participation of young people was identified as a crucial component of effective work on issues rela ted to small arms, children and youth. Lessons from experiences shared included:

• Participation is built over time and is established by listening to youth and creating mutual trust.
  
  

• Young people are often under intense pressure to take up arms and efforts need to be focused on preventing the rearmament of youth in post-conflict situations and where crime and gun violence are prevalent.

Integration into country programmes

Working on small arms issues can complement ongoing programme work and take advantage of existing knowledge and capacities. The advantages of this approach include:

• Reinforcing areas of activity already underway

• Reducing the need for additional resources

• Building on the competencies of UNICEF and its partners

Political sensitivity

In some situations, especially countries in conflict, the discussion of small arms is seen as a political issue, which could reflect negatively on UNICEF and its partners. It was also recognized that not all existing agreements and legal conventions on children or small arms are respec ted by all countries. Participants agreed, however, that with careful planning, good knowledge of country situations and a strong child-focus, UNICEF could manage these risks.

Under the broad umbrella of concern for the well being of children, UNICEF is able to engage diverse actors in order to advance the causes of children, a positive indication of how UNICEF could work on small arms issues.

Advocacy

Advocacy and awareness raising are areas where UNICEF has specific experience and where its partners can play an important role.

An example drawn from experience includes the effective use of eminent persons groups on children and small arms in West Africa to draw attention to the issue of small arms and the negative impact these weapons have on children and youth.

Sustainability

Combating small arms and light weapons will require a long-term approach recognized in country programming. The small arms issue should be addressed not only in emergency response programming, but be entrenched in more sustainable development assistance activity as well. It was no ted that often projects are not sustainable when international support ends.

III. Role of UNICEF

Workshop participants agreed on the importance of UNICEF playing a role in addressing the impact of small arms as part of its programming at international, regional and country levels and discussed its role. Some of the ways in which UNICEF has been working, and will continue to work on small arms issues, include:

At headquarters level

• Policy development for UNICEF’s global strategy on small arms.
  

• Coordinating action at the international level within the UN system and with international non-governmental organizations and networks (e.g. the International Action Network on Small Arms - IANSA).
  

• Developing an advocacy toolbox on small arms and landmines for distribution to country offices.
  

• Maintaining the UNICEF small arms website.
  

• Displaying the UNICEF/UN Department of Disarmament Affairs exhibit on small arms.
  

• Identifying activities at the global level that will support the work of country and regional offices, including, for example, a child and youth focused injury surveillance database.

At regional level

It is anticipa ted that much of the programme development regarding small arms, children and youth will be devolved to the two regional offices for sub-Saharan Africa . These offices will coordinate with headquarters and country offices on initiatives in developing Africa-focused programmes with country offices and UNICEF partners.

At country level

Country level is where the principle action will take place. Section VI of this report lists priority responses developed by the workshop participants. A summary of these activities follows.

• Consultations to identify country-level activities on children, youth and small arms with UNICEF and partners, including meetings with national small arms commissions and UNICEF offices not represen ted at the workshop.
  

• Developing national strategies/structures with existing groups.
  

• Publication of an advocacy document based on the workshop process in English, French and Portuguese and the use of the advocacy document for country-level work.
  

• Joining IANSA and other regional networks.
  

• Developing funding proposals where additional resources are required.
  

• Identifying data collection priorities and ways of gathering information, for example through:
  

  • Formal surveys

  • Available information

  • Information sharing

Techniques for UNICEF

Five categories of techniques, each with specific activities that can be used by UNICEF for its work relating to small arms, children and youth were identified: advocacy, networking, education and training, research and data collection and youth participation. Working with the media (radio, print and television) was identified as an important activity that fit ted into each of the categories.

These are described in more detail in section V of this strategy, and briefly lis ted here.

ADVOCACY

• Mainstreaming small arms, gender and children within the UN system, among NGOs and at regional and country levels.

• Advocacy with the political leadership, including lobbying for the enactment and enforcement of legislation.

• Thematic campaigns on issues rela ted to children, youth and small arms.

• Fair allocation of resources by local and state institutions.

• Rebuilding of institutions and positive values.

• Pressure on non-state actors to respect existing norms and standards on children and small arms.

• Promoting weapons collection and destruction efforts.

• Eminent and prominent persons and goodwill ambassadors advocating for children’s interests.

NETWORKING

• Engaging with existing networks on children’s issues and small arms.

• Youth consultations through networks and schools.

• Establishing an African small arms and youth network.

• Developing and sustaining engagement with national and regional small arms and youth commissions.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Capacity-building programmes for youth to develop skills on disarmament, peace and non-violent conflict resolution.

• Integrating small arms modules into existing peace, conflict resolution and prevention training.

RESEARCH AND DATA COLLECTION

• Defining the scale and impact of small arms on children and youth.

• Surveys to identify the issues to be addressed and the scale of small arms availability and use by children and youth.

• Researching weapons collection and destruction experiences as they affect youth.

• Disarmament and reintegration experiences of child ex-combatants with a focus on preventing rearmament.

• Experiences of children and youth in violent situations other than armed conflict.

YOUTH PARTICIPATION

• Youth consultations through networks and schools.

• Developing programme designs that are participatory and inclusive of youth.

• Giving children space in the media.

IV. Role of Partners

UNICEF has a strong tradition of working closely with partners, some of whom implement programmes at global, regional and country levels. This experience and tradition of partnership can be applied to work on small arms, children and youth.

In some instances, partners are able to engage more easily than UNICEF in processes that are viewed politically by some stakeholders. In others, partners have the specific experiences, skills or knowledge to implement activities in a way that plays to the competencies of both UNICEF and the partners.

It was suggested that UNICEF country offices may need to work with new partners who bring specific issue knowledge of small arms to the programme work, highlighting the active use of networks to share information and experiences.

V. Approaches and Action

VI. Priority Responses

Workshop participants identified a number of responses appropriate to their diverse country contexts and programming areas. Some UNICEF offices and partners are working in conflict or post-conflict situations, while others approached the problem from a preventive angle. Nonetheless, the demand factors responsible for the proliferation of SALW show some commonalities that call for similar responses.

ADVOCACY

Mainstreaming was identified as a common starting point, meaning that advocacy begins within the country office itself in terms of creating space, commitment and resources for SALW within UNICEF and partner activities, as well as raising awareness of the issue among partner agencies, faith-based organizations, NGOs and youth organizations. Some of the activities recommended are:

• Conducting community orien ted SALW and children campaigns;

• Promoting media-based public awareness campaigns;

• Addressing domestic violence and child abuse: encouraging the investigation, reporting and prosecution of these;

• Advocating for enforcement of firearms law, target youth in amnesty campaign;

• Advocating for better public security, visible policing to restore public confidence;

• Advocating for restorative justice, involve young offenders in awareness campaign;

• Advocating for licensing of handguns to responsible members of community, monitoring so they do not fall into hands of children.

At the national and regional levels, UNICEF and partners can support regional and international efforts by joining networks on SALW such as IANSA, by supporting the creation of regional and country based networks, such as the proposed WAANSA (West African Action Network on Small Arms), and by monitoring the implementation of national and regional instruments such as national firearms legislation and the ECOWAS moratorium on small arms. Also at the national level, states can be encouraged to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the use of Children in Armed Conflict.

NETWORKING

With the diversity of contexts and programmes, the importance of using available networks, joining existing ones and creating new ones was recognized. The sharing of experiences, lessons and challenges in this relatively new programming area cannot be oversta ted . Networking can happen in the following ways:

• Working with religious organizations, NGOS and youth organizations;

• Forming links to education and health systems;

• Identifying existing structures, i.e. government and social services;

• Linking with development programmes, particularly those addressing SALW demand rela ted problems, such as poverty and lack of education;

• Participating in activities of IANSA;

• Encouraging African NGOs to create an African SALW network;

• Meeting regularly with various groups associa ted with SALW;

• Liasing with national and regional bodies, such as National Commissions on Small Arms and the ECOWAS child protection unit.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

A lack of education and training opportunities is a significant element in the demand for SALW, particularly where there is the risk of re-armament in post-conflict situations. SALW can be integra ted into reintegration and reinsertion efforts on behalf of children and youth, including:

• Vocational training;

• Literacy;

• Rehabilitation Reinsertion Link to education and health system;

• Visits to child ex-combatants in homes to follow up on behaviour and attitude;

• Peace enhancement (cultural and recreational activities);

• Conflict resolution training.

Education can also play an important preventive role, and opportunities for integrating SALW awareness into existing curricula come in many forms, including:

• Introducing SALW into Peace Education programmes, particularly in school based peace education;

• Sensitizing on dangers of arms (e.g. Providing children with pictorial and audio visual samples of SALW, teaching them what to do/not to do when they appear in communities);

• Integrating SALW into existing training programmes for police, peacekeepers, social service providers, etc.

RESEARCH AND DATA COLLECTION

Effective responses require knowledge of policies rela ted to children, youth and SALW as well as an understanding of the impact of SALW, which groups are at risk and the effectiveness of ongoing and past interventions. Data from surveys, such as those exploring attitudes toward arms, can inform public awareness campaigns and help in effectively targeting education initiatives. Some of the priority actions in this area are:

• Documenting on-going activities in SALW;

• Collecting qualitative and quantitative data on children, youth and SALW;

• Conducting a census of children/youth;

• Researching risk factors for early warning/preventive action;

• Partnering with research institutions.

YOUTH PARTICIPATION

Where demand for SALW is rela ted to perceptions of insecurity, status and cyclical and socially embedded violence, giving youth the opportunity to express needs and aspirations and to participate in rela ted activities will be extremely valuable. In a broader way, youth participation in community and organizational decision-making, and in recreational and cultural activities addresses the problem of exclusion. Youth role models speaking to youth may even be the most effective way of getting across messages aimed at sensitisation of the dangers of guns. Youth participation can be encouraged by:

• Engaging youth in community level research;

• Holding formal consultations with youth;

• Using research data to inform campaigns;

• Conducting community theatre and sports activities;

• Involving youth, particularly young offenders or youth at risk, in the design/implementation of public awareness campaigns.

DISARMAMENT, WEAPONS COLLECTION AND DESTRUCTION

The need to control the supply of weapons as well as the factors that drive the demand for weapons was recognized by participants. Thus, areas for UNICEF intervention can also include:

• Assessing arms availability among child or youth combatants;

• Maintaining a child-aware focus in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes;

• Supporting arms collection and destruction programmes;

• Developing programmes aimed at reducing the threat of arms to children;

• Collecting toy weapons from children and replacing them with other toys;

• Disarming children of non-firearm weapons, for example knives.

VII. Challenges

The challenges faced in raising awareness and addressing the impact of SALW on children and youth fall broadly into three categories:

• Political issues;

• Demobilization, disarmament and reintegration, education, training and child development in conflict and non-conflict areas;

• Mainstreaming/collaboration and networking.

Political issues

The prioritization of children on state agendas varies widely. In conflict situations, the primacy of national security concerns over child protection has meant that the consequences of arms acquisition and proliferation have not necessarily been recognized as a child rights issue. In addition, both state and non-state actors have denied or overlooked the problem of child soldiers and militarization of youth. Some of the challenges faced in this regard are:

• Explicit references to child soldiers and war-affec ted children have been omit ted from peace negotiations and peace frameworks, resulting in a lack of child-focussed DDR schemes.

• There are not always solidarity mechanisms for organizations working on like issues.

• The nature of warfare can make access, information gathering (i.e. problems with transparency and data availability) and programming difficult or impossible.

• There may be the perception by either state or non-state actors that organizations are acting politically; organizations themselves can have difficulties in maintaining neutrality.

• States need to be encouraged to follow up on commitments, including reporting on the CRC, complying with moratoria, etc.

Programme Development

Where violence and gun culture have become socially and economically embedded, raising awareness and addressing the impact of SALW can require profound changes in livelihood patterns, behaviour and even culture itself. In contexts where the impact is still contained or controlled, demand factors may still call for preventive measures. Common challenges in these contexts are:

• Psychosocial impacts must be addressed throughout childhood and youth, including early childhood;

• Education and training interventions need to be long-term, sustainable and linked to social and economic development. Post-conflict reintegration schemes in particular must reflect economic needs, including the restoration of agriculture/food production.

• Perceptions of and real insecurity lead people to arm themselves to protect livelihoods.

• Cultural and behavioural changes are necessary where arms become a part of the identity of communities, ethnic groups, clans, etc.

Mainstreaming/collaboration and networking

UN agencies, NGOs and child rights advocates have made great strides in raising the profile of children at the global level. There is still much work to be done in the area of children and SALW, and further efforts are necessary to meet these challenges:

• Prioritization and support of these activities within UNICEF offices, re-alignment of programmes to accommodate children and SALW;

• Mainstreaming of children and youth in DDR and giving a child focus to the work of other UN agencies;

• Identification of good partner agencies with a mandate to work on SALW;

• Inventories and surveys of existing training materials;

• Information sharing and collaboration on developing research methods;

• Building of the capacity of civil society agencies and promoting their acceptance by governments.