A Human Rights Based Approach to Child Safeguarding in Peacekeeping Operations – Responsibilities, Theory and Practice
Self-guided course
Course information
Audience: Military and police officers, civilian staff
Duration: 1h 30m
Language: English
Fee: Free
Certificate: Certificate of completion / CPD
Accreditation: The University of Reading and Keeping Children Safe
Learning objectives
- Understand the definition of a child and the risks of child abuse in the context of peacekeeping operations.
- Understand what we mean by child protection and the responsibility to protect children from harm, including the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and other relevant legal instruments and the six grave violations.
- Understand what we mean by child safeguarding, and the responsibility to prevent risks of harm and abuse to children from its personnel, associates, operations and activities, including the International Child Safeguarding Standards and how to apply them. As well as the difference between child protection and child safeguarding.
- Recognize the increased risks of child abuse occurring in the context of a conflict or crisis situation. Identify and mitigate potential child safeguarding risks in the context of a peacekeeping operation.
- Understand the rights and how to support victims and survivors of abuse.
- Learn the seven stages for systematically mapping child safeguarding risks. Understand the chain of command, roles and responsibilities in child safeguarding; and the importance of leadership in creating a culture where child safeguarding is effective.
There is substantial evidence that the risks of abuse and exploitation of children increase significantly during a conflict or crisis. Abusers may use the opportunity to abuse or exploit children when attention and resources are being drawn into dealing with the situation– in some instances at the expense of safeguarding practices. In addition, children may be inadvertently put at risk with poorly led operations. In a significant number of cases, children have been exposed to abuse by military or civilian personnel in the context of peacekeeping operations.
This ground-breaking introductory course is based on evidence from a five-year research project on child safeguarding in peacekeeping operations and was coproduced with military advisers, serving personnel, legal scholars, safeguarding practitioners and communities affected by peacekeeping operations.
The course will explain the important differences between child protection and child safeguarding and the various international agreements that underpin these concepts. It will provide an introduction to responsibilities, relevant theory and examples of good practices to help participants understand how to better safeguard children from abuse and exploitation in the context of peacekeeping.