A Children’s Dialogue for Peace

“We need to believe that peace is possible. Our negative rhetoric and accompanying actions dictate our lack of belief in dialogue and forgiveness that can break cycles of violence. Collective trauma experienced in different parts of the world, including the Israeli and Gaza regions, has created generations of adults that don’t believe peace is possible.”

- Dr. Shelly Whitman, Executive Director

For millions of innocent children around the globe, the world is increasingly dangerous and cruel.

The UN Secretary-General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict for 2022 —published in 2023—revealed that children continued to be disproportionately affected by armed conflict, and the number of children verified as affected by grave violations increased with a verified 27,180 grave violations. Violations affected 18,890 children. The highest numbers of violations were the killing (2,985) and maiming (5,655) of 8,631 children, followed by the recruitment and use of 7,622 children and the abduction of 3,985 children.

During a recent visit to Colombia, I had the privilege of meeting with children who had escaped their home villages to avoid being recruited by armed groups and gangs; I also met with community leaders who are fighting to protect their children. Despite a major peace agreement with the main armed group (FARC-EP) in 2016, children in Colombia continue to face horrific realities at the hands of unscrupulous adults.

Executive Director, Dr. Shelly Whitman and Mr. Martin Vidal, Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Center of Excellence interact with children at Benposta Nacion de Muchachos in Bogota, Colombia.

In many places in Latin America, this situation is driven by the demand for profit from both drug and human trafficking into North America and Europe, as well as the exportation of a narco culture that celebrates violence. The violent crimes in exotic locations glamorized in cinemas fascinate viewers around the world, yet the daily reality of the children surrounded by armed violence are silenced and they are forced to find their own survival techniques.

The UN SG report also noted that grave violations increased in Colombia, Israel and the State of Palestine, Lebanon, Libya, Mali and Nigeria, alongside the Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic. Among factors having the most severe impact was the use of explosive weapons, including those with a wide impact area, notably in populated areas, such as Gaza, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, and Yemen, which led to greater child casualties and damaged schools and hospitals, depriving children of education and health services.

As the war in Israel and Gaza intensifies each day, children are witnesses to horrific human rights violations on both sides of the situation. The stories or images of their suffering are being used to justify military and terrorist actions. Yet the calls by children to stop the horror are either ignored or silenced. As witnesses to war, children can capably and clearly express the unspeakable atrocities they have faced.

A tweeted video from May 2021 shows a girl surveying the devastation piled up in the grounds she used to play on in the Occupied Westbank. Staring straight into the camera she dares the adult community to respond: “What do you expect me do about this? Fix it? I’m only 10.” In the age of social media and global communication it is high time we realize as adults that children are aware of what is happening around them, whether in a conflict zone or not, and their frustration at our ineptitude to solve these issues is growing.    

 We need to believe that peace is possible. Our negative rhetoric and accompanying actions dictate our lack of belief in dialogue and forgiveness that can break cycles of violence. Collective trauma experienced in different parts of the world, including the Israeli and Gaza regions, has created generations of adults that don’t believe peace is possible. Delay in bringing an end to the conflict will inevitably result in more devastating consequences for children as the conflict-related violence continues to take a horrendous toll on the lives of children and their families in Israel and the State of Palestine.

We call on all parties not to target children and take all necessary measures to ensure their protection during hostilities, including their access to humanitarian assistance. On behalf of the children around the globe caught up in war zones…Peace is possible, violence is preventable, and our children deserve new approaches to achieving this reality.