Yesterday (Monday), the course “Protection of Children during Armed Conflicts” was launched, presented by the Standing Committee on International Humanitarian Law of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, in coordination with the Child Protection Unit in the Civil Military Operations of the Joint Forces. And the presence of the Director of Civil Military Operations in the Joint Forces, Major General Pilot Abdullah bin Dakhil Al-Hababi, and it will last for three days at the headquarters of the Armed Forces Officers Club in Riyadh.
The course held is the fifth of the training programs provided by the Standing Committee on International Humanitarian Law to employees of the Joint Forces and the relevant authorities, and one of the most important activities of the educational and training strategic plan, as the successive training programs held in cooperation with the Standing Committee on International Humanitarian Law at the Red Crescent Authority are evidence of development continuous in this field.
The course began its programs on the first day with two themes: “The Concept of International Humanitarian Law and Historical Development” and “The Legal Framework for the Protection of Children in Armed Conflicts.”
On the second day, the course program will address “preventive measures to prevent child trafficking in armed conflict”, “rules and regulations to protect children’s rights during detention”, and “appropriate interventions for the reintegration of children formerly associated with armed conflict”.
The themes of the third day will be “gross violations against children in times of war” and “mechanisms for monitoring violations committed against children in armed conflict”, as child soldiers participating in armed conflicts receive the attention of the international community, and international agreements criminalize and prohibit their participation in armed conflicts. Forced or compulsory child labor is a war crime and a violation of international law.
