Despite decades of attention on children associated with armed groups and armed forces, there is a modest evidence base to demonstrate how and why children become associated with, are used by, and leave armed groups. We work with UN partners, Member States and researchers to address this dearth of empirical evidence on child pathways into and out of armed groups.
The project’s research – including surveys, focus groups, and participatory studies with children and youth in the Lake Chad Basin, Iraq, and Colombia – informs policy and practice on how to effectively prevent the recruitment of children, and how to craft responsive reintegration programming for conflict-affected children and their families.