EDUCATION UNDER ATTACK A GLOBAL FRAMING Jane Kalista

EDUCATION UNDER ATTACK: A GLOBAL FRAMING Jane Kalista INEE Global Consultation 2009 - Istanbul, Turkey

Overview Scope, nature, motives and impact of attacks Normative instruments and global initiatives Implications for action

The nature of attacks Sophisticated military-style operations Occupation of school buildings by armed groups Bombings, remotely detonated explosions, sprayed gunfire Targeted assassinations Detention and torture Maiming Abduction and/or rape by military forces Forced recruitment of child soldiers Threats of violence

Possible motives Preventing the functioning of particular schools or entire education systems Spreading fear and instability Preventing the education of particular groups Weakening political opposition Opposing state control Reacting against politicized and/or unequal provision of education

Impact Loss of life Destruction and damage of buildings, materials and resources Closure of schools and universities Reduced attendance and enrolment Absenteeism and flight of teachers, academics and administrators Teacher shortages and difficulty in recruiting qualified replacements Possible evacuation of humanitarian and development workers Psychological distress and fear

Normative instruments 4 th Geneva Convention (1949) Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (2000) African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1999) Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998) Security Council Resolutions 1261 (1999), 1314 (2000), 1460 (2003), 1539 (2004), 1612 (2005)

Resolution 1612 (2005) Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) for 6 grave violations Formal task forces active in 13 countries: DRC, Sudan, Burundi, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Somalia, Uganda, Chad, CAR, Afghanistan, Philippines, Colombia www. un. org/children/conflict

Possible actions to end impunity Expand the grave violation and war crime of attacks on educational infrastructure Encourage the Security Council to refer attacks to the International Criminal Court Include conditions of adherence to international norms in trade deals, and fiscal and military aid Build neutrality and protection of schools into peace agreements and their monitoring Press for conformity of national laws of Member States with international legal standards

The way forward… Work at national and international levels to end impunity and deter attacks Strengthen response through knowledgesharing and evidence-based practice and research Prevent future attacks by better understanding root causes and directing funding, policy and programming accordingly