Key documents for the protection of children in armed conflict
At the international level the standards devoted to the subject of children and armed conflict include:
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (2000)
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998)
- International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (1999)
- African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the African Child (1999)
- Geneva Conventions (1949) and Additional Protocol I & Additional Protocol II (1977)
- Security Council resolutions 1261 (1999), 1314 (2000), 1379 (2001), 1460 (2003), 1539 (2004), 1612 (2005)
- Paris Principles (2007)
- Machel 10 Year Strategic Review (2007) - Part two of A/62/228; follow up to the Landmark "The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children" A/51/306 (1996)
In addition to these international instruments and norms, national legislation exists that provides for the protection, rights and well-being of children. There are also concrete commitments on children and armed conflict which have been entered into by parties to conflict.
For more information, visit the website of The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)