When War and Children Collide: How to Protect Children from Conflict
| Date | Friday, January 26, 2007 |
Zlata Filipovic, author of “Zlata's Diary” (1994), which recounts her teenage years in wartime Sarajevo, and Ambassador (ret.) Donald Steinberg, Vice President, International Crisis Group, discuss the impact of violence on children. The well-being of children in war and post-conflict situations is increasingly recognized as central to achieving lasting peace. Children's rights must be respected, and their perpetrators held accountable if justice and the rule of law are to prevail. Questions remain about what the international community can and has done to protect children from violence. What practical steps can be taken to protect the most vulnerable? How can Congress promote support for the reintegration of child soldiers into post conflict societies and help hold violent perpetrators accountable for forcible recruitment? Why are the U.S. and Somalia the only countries that have not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child? What role might the new UN Secretary General and International Criminal Court play?