BACKGROUND PAPER:

SOCHUM

Treatment of women and children in conflict zones

Introduction:

While conflict inflicts suffering on everyone women and children are often innocent in times of
warfare in areas of conflict. However, they still must suffer greatly through the practices of child
soldiering, rape, sexual trafficking, and more.

Background & History:

Today, it is estimated that approximately 90% of war casualties are civilians, the majority of
which are composed largely of women and children. Although entire communities are often
victims of their circumstance and environment, women and girls are particularly affected
because of their status in society. The majority of communities currently engaged in armed
conflict around the world do not adhere to the rules of war as dictated by the Geneva
Convention. Rather, these parties in conflict situations employ various means of violence against
women as a systematic strategy of warfare. By its definition, conflict-related sexual violence
refers to incidents or patterns of sexual violence against women, men, girls or boys occurring in a
conflict or post-conflict setting. This kind of violence usually has direct or indirect links with the
conflict itself or occurs in other situations of concern such as in the context of political
repression. These forms of violence, namely, against women, include rape, murder, sexual
slavery, forced pregnancy, and forced sterilization.

The presence of armed conflict consequently results in a near exponential increase of sexual
violence within and beyond the community. The increase of sexual violence in turn renders
women vulnerable to poverty, unemployment, and the destruction of valuable assets. These
violations against women are the sign of an extremist form of fundamental conservatism. The
agenda shared by various extremist groups devote a significant proportion of efforts to focus on
the suppression of womens autonomy and a further emphasis on the preservation of outdated,
stereotypical gender roles.

While the subordination of women remains to be the forefront of the agenda for these extremist
groups, the same cannot be said for the response of the ongoing international community. As it
currently stands, the international community has failed to acknowledge that the presence and
continued empowerment of women remain to be the founding principle of a stable community.
Furthermore there are an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 child soldiers worldwide according to the
Human Rights Watch. Children are being or have been recruited to be soldiers in many countries
including Sri Lanka, Colombia, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Uganda, and Sudan. According to Save the Children, roughly half of the child soldiers in the
world are girls. These girl soldiers can become forced to marry older soldiers.

If these children are not forced into battle during conflict, they are often forced out of their
homes and into refugee camps in neighboring cities or bordering countries. Once in refugee
camps, conditions are often poor for children, where they often face exploitation, lack of food,
denial of education, and cross-border attacks. If children are internally displaced, they do not fit
the internationally accepted definition of a refugee and therefore do not receive the same
protection as those who have crossed international borders. The biggest danger is malnutrition,
and children are often sent outside the camps to look for work, where they risk being abducted,
or murdered by those fighting within a conflict. Furthermore, drugs may also be used on child
soldiers to curb their hunger that can lead to drug addiction as well as psychological and
emotional problems.

When a conflict ends, soldiers need to be disarmed and demobilized. After that, children must be
reintegrated into society. This includes ensuring that the children receive primary education

again. Children can also become desensitized to extreme violence and need assistance is
separating their identity from their former violent one that they developed as soldiers. Being in
armed conflict also creates psychological and emotional pain, especially for children who lose
family members, and even more so for children who are forced to kill others. Finally, girls, if
they were not combatants, are unable to receive the same reintegration services from NGOs.

Current Situation: Today many extremist groups throughout the world such as Boko haram,
ISIS utilize women and children as soldiers, sex slaves, hostages, suicide bombers etc. These
cruel injustices have never been more prevalent than now and action needs to be taken before it
is too late to stop it.

The Problem: Women and children are becoming increasingly involved with wars especially in
many lesser developed countries. Groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS have utilized women
and children as sex slaves, warriors, suicide bombers etc. against their will. This gross act of
human negligence has violated the rights of these innocent victims and has led to many deaths of
innocent people.

Bloc Positions:
Norway
Australia
Switzerland
Germany
United States
Egypt
Philippines
South Africa
Guatemala
Congo
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Mexico

India
Pakistan
France
Russia
China
United Kingdom
Algeria
Bangladesh
Italy
Japan
South Africa
South Korea
Ukraine
Vietnam
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Jordan
Israel
Greece
Ethiopia
Brazil
Argentina
Singapore
Honduras
Dominican Republic
Canada
Ghana
Nigeria

Committee Mission: This committee will aim to determine the best course of action the United
Nations should take in order to combat this problem without harming these victims any further.

Questions to Consider:
1.) What steps should the UN take in order to circumvent this problem from becoming any
greater
2.) What would be the best course of action by the un
3.) What are some measures of progress that can be used in order to promote the safety of
women and children in times of war?
Sources for Further Research:

http://www.endvawnow.org/uploads/modules/pdf/1405612658.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2080482/

https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/files/womenpeaceandsecurity.pdf