Gender, Peacekeeping, and Child Soldiers: Training and Research in Implementation of the Vancouver Principles

Abstract

Since the passage of UN Security Council resolution 1325, there has been a growing focus on the involvement of women in peacekeeping operations. Ambitious UN targets, the Vancouver Principles, and the Canadian government’s Elsie Initiative all aim to support the increased inclusion of uniformed women in peacekeeping missions. This article discusses three areas in which the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative (Dallaire Initiative) is working to support Vancouver Principle (VP) 11 through the training of women security sector actors, training on gendered dimensions of the recruitment and use of child soldiers and SGBV against child soldiers, and through research on how gender matters in peacekeeping operations. Based on these experiences and an engagement with the academic literature, it makes a number of policy recommendations in support of VP 11.Keywords: gender, peacekeeping, training, child soldiers, SGBV

Prevention, Protection and Participation: Children Affected by Armed Conflict

“…While the number of grave violations occurring is alarming, it is important to recognize that challenges of underreporting, combined with the high verification threshold employed by the UN, results in significant underrepresentation of the violence experienced by children in armed conflict. The underrepresentation is particularly relevant for girls affected by armed conflict due to the perverse existence of sex and gender-based violence (Mazurana and Carlson, 2006;Denov and Ricard-Guay, 2013;Johnson and Walsh, 2020;Szabo and Edwards, 2020). Johnson and Walsh (2020) argue: "because of inherent male-centric understandings of conflict, girls and their unique experiences are often neglected or silenced in research, policy, and practice" (p.52).…”

“…The underrepresentation is particularly relevant for girls affected by armed conflict due to the perverse existence of sex and gender-based violence (Mazurana and Carlson, 2006;Denov and Ricard-Guay, 2013;Johnson and Walsh, 2020;Szabo and Edwards, 2020). Johnson and Walsh (2020) argue: "because of inherent male-centric understandings of conflict, girls and their unique experiences are often neglected or silenced in research, policy, and practice" (p.52). The gaps in research and policy exploring girls lived experiences, and particularly the experiences of girls recruited and used in violence, illustrates the inequitable gendered realities of conflict environments.…”

“…Boys and girls living in fragile and conflict environments, and particularly those who are recruited and used as soldiers, are exposed to and survive countless forms of violence. The power differential between adults and children often results in an increased risk for exploitation and abuse in conflict contexts, particularly for girls who endure elevated levels of gender discrimination and typically less opportunities for equality (Mazurana and Carlson, 2006;OECD Development Policy Papers, 2019;Johnson and Walsh, 2020). From a cultural perspective, sex and gender-based violence is so deeply engrained within religious and cultural normative frameworks that it remains embedded in social structures (Galtung, 1996).…”