Policy paper

Platform for action promoting the rights and wellbeing of children born of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV): commitments overview, July 2023

Updated 14 July 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/platform-for-action-promoting-rights-and-wellbeing-of-children-born-of-conflict-related-sexual-violence/platform-for-action-promoting-the-rights-and-wellbeing-of-children-born-of-conflict-related-sexual-violence-crsv-commitments-overview-july-2023

Committing partners

The following stakeholders have made commitments under the Platform for Action, as of 1 June 2023:

  • Government of the United Kingdom
  • Government of Canada
  • Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict
  • The Children Born of War (CBOW) Project
  • Global Survivors Fund
  • University of Birmingham

The UK government continues to welcome commitments from new partners to strengthen implementation of the Platform for Action.

View the full list of formal endorsements of the Call to Action to Ensure the Rights and Wellbeing of Children Born of CRSV, the sister document to the Platform for Action.

Commitments made and outstanding gaps

A range of academic and non-academic stakeholders have made commitments to work together, including:

  • commissioning a literature review on existing research on children born of CRSV as a first step in identifying gaps to be addressed by a future comprehensive, gender-sensitive global study on children born of CRSV
  • contributing to the global study by sharing information, research findings, methodological expertise, and networks
  • convening expert roundtables and briefings to facilitate better coordination and collaboration to strengthen the evidence base
  • ensuring a focus on children born of CRSV in wider research projects
  • developing tools to support effective utilisation of research on children born of CRSV in programming

Strategic priority 2: Promoting effective laws, policies and practices

Recognising the importance of robust legal frameworks for promoting the rights and wellbeing of children born of CRSV, stakeholders have committed to various measures, including:

  • conducting a national review of law, policy and practice on the specific impact on the rights and wellbeing of children born of CRSV
  • funding technical expertise to assist in the national review of law, policy and practice
  • championing widespread utilisation of key guidance, including, the Murad Code, Principles for Global Action on Tackling the Stigma of Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Declaration of Humanity to support positive policies, communications and actions affecting children born of CRSV
  • promoting survivor- and child-sensitive justice with special consideration of children born of war as part of day-to-day advocacy and accountability work

Recognising the important advocacy role children born of CRSV play and the need to ensure their safe and meaningful participation in advocacy efforts, policy making and programmatic discussions, stakeholders have committed to such action as:

  • supporting existing networks of children born of CRSV and helping to establish them as part of advocacy work with survivors
  • supporting local, national and international activities involving children born of CRSV
  • appointing at least one child born of CRSV on organisational advisory groups and/or boards and to support their participation in other advisory opportunities
  • use access and influence to promote the agency and views of children born of CRSV
  • using access and influence to raise awareness of the political, social, economic and other challenges children born of CRSV face

Strategic priority 4: Focusing on the most vulnerable children

Seeking to bring a focus onto the most vulnerable and marginalised children, stakeholders have been making important commitments on this overarching priority, including:

  • prioritising the most marginalised, including children born of CRSV, in the fulfilment of their mandates
  • embedding child rights and wellbeing risk assessments into programmatic funding and design decisions

Operational commitments

Some of the commitments made by stakeholders will support the operationalisation of the Platform, including:

  • funding an independent expert to monitor commitments in the short term and explore longer-term monitoring options
  • supporting the development of a knowledge platform
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