Children, conflict, and global governance

Abstract

Headlines reminding us that children constitute over half of those Syrians displaced by the three-year-long civil war in that country provide ongoing evidence that children suffer enormous insecurity in armed conflict. UNICEF’s most recent report suggests that there are over one billion children currently living in zones affected by armed conflict - that’s roughly one in every six people on the planet. This chapter creates pathways to better address the insecurity of children in conflict zones. It argues that the key to doing so is to understand children not only as insecure subjects but also as agents of security. It does this by making explicit the links between children and global insecurity in armed conflict, offering analysis of not just how children are rendered insecure, but also how children can contribute to global security as agents of present security practices and custodians of future security visions. To facilitate this, this chapter investigates current policy and global governance structures which seek to address the impact of armed conflict on children, with particular reference to the work performed by the United Nations Security Council and the UN Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. It argues that while this work is bringing greater attention to the issue, more needs to be done to facilitate children’s own capacities to imagine security.