To commemorate international women’s day and in line with the growing concern over the fate of women and children in armed conflict, the PSC organised an open session in this regard on Monday 9 March.
Over the years, the African Union (AU) has taken important steps towards the protection of women and children in conflicts and has developed various instruments to compel governments to protect women and children. However, their adoption and implementation remain a challenge.
The changing nature of conflicts, the rise of non-state actors, as well as the increased threat of terrorism and organised crime poses new threats for the protection of women and children.
Studies show increasing violence against women and children
Women and children are the most vulnerable group when faced with armed conflicts and suffer most from the socio-economic consequences of violence. Their plight is aggravated due to a breakdown of social order and disrespect for the rule of law in conflicts across the continent.
The African Union has taken important steps towards the protection of women and children in conflicts
There are multiple examples of the suffering of women and children in armed conflict. The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where conflict has raged for decades, has for example been labled as ‘the most dangerous place on earth to be a woman’. According to certain reports at the peak of the conflict 1 000 women had been raped daily. A 2010 research by the Journal of the American Medical Association found out that 39.7% of women in the eastern DRC including the North Kivu, South Kivu, and Province Orientale were victims of sexual violence during their lifetime, rape being the most frequent. Another study conducted in 2010 concluded that two in five women living in the eastern DRC were exposed to sexual violence. Rights groups accuse both the state and rebels of sexual crime and violence.
South Sudan is another example. It has been more than a year since the country entered a state of civil war. A February 2015 report by the United Nations (UN) states that 12 000 children were used as child soldiers across South Sudan in 2014. The report adds that thousands of these children were kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers. UNICEF reported 89 child abductions in South Sudan in the same month. Human Rights Watch also accuses the Juba government and the rebels of using child soldiers.
Meanwhile, the notorious Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram continues to hold more than 200 girls, kidnapped in Chibok in April 2014 as hostages. The kidnapping grabbed the headlines, but the atrocities committed by the group in the region, especially against women and children continue. Lately, the group has also started using teenage girls as suicide bombers.
AU actions thus far
It is with consideration of this reality and commemoration of the International Women’s Day that the PSC held an open session on ‘Mitigating Vulnerabilities of Women, Children and other Vulnerable Groups in Armed Conflicts in Africa’ on 9 March 2015.
The past five years saw an increased interest and commitment from the PSC to mainstream gender and child protection in conflict analysis and response. Various measures have been taken to promote the overall protection of vulnerable groups affected by conflict-related violence in Africa. The PSC has held six open sessions on this issue since 2010. The sessions served as a platform for the Council to engage with civil society organisations, advocacy groups for the rights of women and children and the media.
The past years saw progress led by the Women, Gender and Development Directorate of the AU, including the designation and deployment of gender focal points in the Departments of Peace and Security and Political Affairs, and the AU liaison offices. The appointment of Ms. Bineta Diop as the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security in early 2014 was also commended as a move in the right direction in the effort to mainstream the issue at the AU.
Training for AU peacekeepers
The PSC has identified the AU peace support operations as an important entry point for mainstreaming child protection into the African peace and security agenda. At the end of 2013, the AU Gender Training Manual for AU Peace Support Operations was adopted. The manual included the elaboration of a policy brief and a draft code of conduct. Subsequently numerous measures were taken for a meaningful inclusion and consideration of the protection of vulnerable groups, in particular women and children in conflict situations by African peace support missions. These include efforts by the African Mission in Somalia to include the protection of women and children as part of the pre-deployment training, and the development of standard operating procedures for the release and integration of children from armed groups.
The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been labled as the most dangerous place on earth to be a woman
A comprehensive study on women and children in armed conflict ‘Mitigating Vulnerabilities of Women and Children in Armed Conflicts’ was also undertaken by the AU Panel of the Wise and its preliminary report was submitted to the PSC on 28 March 2011 .
A plethora of legal frameworks
The AU has developed various sets of instruments and documents with an objective of preventing the negative impact of violent conflict on women and children before, during, and after conflict. These include the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (2005) and the African Charter on the Protection and Welfare of the Child (1999),as well as the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (2009). The AU also adopted the UN Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820(2008) on Women, Peace and Security.
To give impetus to the implementation of the AU’s Gender Architecture, the 12th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, held in Addis Ababa from 1 to 3 February 2009 declared 2010-2020 the decade of African women. Subsequently, the AU created mechanisms and groups including the Committee of 30 for the African Women’s Decade (AWD), the steering committee for the Fund for African Women, the meeting of AU experts and the ministerial committee of 10 to implement the objectives of the decade.
The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990), the first African document to establish 18 as a minimum age for military recruitment and participation in hostilities is another one of these instruments. The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child was also established subsequent to the Charter, to review the progress made by close to 50 signatories in the implementation of the treaty.
Gaps and next steps
Despite the increased commitment and attention, as well as measures to institutionalise, legalise and mainstream efforts towards the protection of women and children affected by armed conflict, grave violations of women and children’s rights in conflict areas remain a major threat to human security in Africa. The signing, adoption, ratification and implementation of the relevant instruments and commitments remain a challenge across the continent. The changing nature of conflicts and the rise of non-state actors, as well as the increased threat of terrorism and organised crime pose new threats for the protection of women and children. The situations in the DRC, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Nigeria demonstrate the seriousness of the challenge.
The AU acknowledges the need to examine and investigate cases of crimes committed against women and children, to launch preventive campaigns aiming at the armed forces and the police, and fight impunity by bringing perpetrators to justice.
The PSC open session on mitigating vulnerabilities of women, children and other vulnerable groups in armed conflicts in Africa discussed efforts to strengthen the mainstreaming of child protection within the AU activities, policies and operations.Increased involvement of the Panel of the Wise, and harmonisation of efforts between the PSC, the AU Commission and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child was also expected to feature on the agenda of the session. The organisation of a high level meeting on children in armed conflict and improving cooperation with the UN also deserve the attention of the Council. The challenge with the ratification and implementation of instruments also needs to be addressed. Moreover, the Council needs to scale up its relations with and support to civil society and women’s organisations, as well as advocacy campaigns raising awareness and urging for action on this matter.
The article was first published by The Institute for Security Studies ( http://www.issafrica.org) and is republished with permission granted to www.oasesnews.com
