A conference organised by the RSC, International Rescue Committee and the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children - entitled 'Voices out of conflict: young people affected by forced migration and political crisis' - was held at Cumberland Lodge in the UK in March.
Participants were addressed by young people from Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Palestine and Sri Lanka who had actively participated in conflict and in peace processes. Young invitees from northern Uganda were unable to attend, having been refused UK visas. There was two days of vigorous exploration and discussion concerning the voices, roles and influence of young people in situations of conflict.
The opening session echoed with an uncomfortable challenge from a young person asking whether anyone but a young person could truly represent young people's voices. This was asked of a presenter who had herself played an active role as a young combatant.
The conference addressed young people's protection problems before moving on to their actual and potential role in protection. It was emphasised that the international humanitarian community does not respond well to the specific protection concerns of young people and has failed to adequately consult them in planning and/or implementation.
The background paper prepared for the conference noted the paucity of literature addressing the concerns of young people, observed a dominant tendency to focus exclusively on the vulnerabilities of youth and cited innovative recent research engaging young people in the research process. (1)
In the many different cultural setting where there is conflict, who should be considered a young person? Singling out young people can have implications for other population groups not similarly targeted. The traditional approach of designing programmes for women and children perceived as vulnerable has often led to neglect of the needs of young adolescents - despite evidence from developmental psychologists that the transition from childhood to adulthood is fraught with difficulties. Because of their particular status and position in society adolescents and youth are often at greater risk of sexual violence and forcible military recruitment than those in other age categories. Not only do they not receive the kind of protection and support that younger children often receive but also they also fail to obtain benefits and rights frequently enjoyed by adults.
Participation is one of the guiding principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In plenary sessions as well as small group discussions, the conference looked at the implications of young people actively choosing to participate in conflict - whether as combatants, negotiators or members of warring factions - and at the possibilities that open up when young people participate in peace processes. Particular attention was paid to the potential role of participation in facilitating protection mechanisms for youth in conflict situations.
The 'elders' at the conference were challenged to facilitate young people's active participation in shaping initiatives. Practical, ethical and organisational challenges were highlighted. It was noted that many humanitarian agencies are very hierarchical and that this kind of organisational structure and culture does not predispose itself to youth participation. Caution was expressed by 'elders' that structures might need to be provided to mitigate against young people 'rattling around' - losing direction - while waiting for suitable forms of participation to be negotiated. The need for young people to have access to good information and support was emphasised.
The endnote presentation by General Roméo Dallaire(2) provoked strong debate. Noting that many peacekeepers are young fighters, he called upon the audience - and governments - to consider sending young people to conflict settings to engage in youth-to-youth communication and undertake research on the conflict. This suggestion clearly had ethical implications. The conference concluded that there were still many on-going challenges but that listening to the voices of young people is integral to developing ways to best meet these challenges.
Maryanne Loughry is the Pedro Arrupe Tutor at the Refugee Studies Centre. Email: maryanne.loughry@qeh.ox.ac.uk.
The conference report is available on the Cumberland Lodge website (www.cumberlandlodge.ac.uk) or from Janis Reeves, Cumberland Lodge, The Great Park, Windsor SLA 2HP, UK. Tel: + 44 (0) 1784 497794. Email: janis@cumberlandlodge.ac.uk
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