Duty Of Care: Protecting Children In War

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• published: 22 Jul 2015
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SIGN THE PETITION NOW TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN WAR: http://warchild.campaignion.org/help Video: Warning graphic content The scenarios in this innovative, gaming-style video are drawn from real-life testimonies of children in War Child’s projects across Africa and the Middle East, who have witnessed and experienced the most unacceptable violations to their rights. The HELP campaign is urging reform in the humanitarian system which currently neglects the needs and rights of children in war. You can sign the HELP campaign petition at http://warchild.campaignion.org/help The hard-hitting ‘Duty of Care’ video is at the forefront of War Child UK's HELP campaign. It subverts first person shooting games by showing the horror of war through the eyes of Nima, a nine-year-old girl. The creative team behind the video were Heydon Prowse from BBC3's The Revolution Will Be Televised, Creative Directors Guy Davidson and Daniel Clarke from London-based agency TOAD, Director Daniel Luchessi and the post production team at H&O; and OgilvyOne. The purpose of the campaign video is to engage people to sign the petition which calls on the UK Government to become champions for children in war, such as those Nima represents in the video. Providing protection can reduce and prevent atrocities against children. Yet a shocking new statistic released by War Child UK reveals that less than 3% of humanitarian funding is spent on protecting children in war zones, despite them making up more than 50% of the population. The campaign is targeting the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit to ensure that this unjust disparity is addressed. The greater the level of support, the more difficult it becomes to ignore the protection of children in war when world leaders meet at the World Humanitarian Summit next May. War Child UK knows, from over two decades of expertise in the field, that child protection interventions in war save lives and that children and their families prioritise their safety and education above even the most basic needs such as food and shelter. The simple truth is, whilst food, water and shelter are daily necessities, they do not keep a child in war safe from harm. The medical kit in the video demonstrates that these tangible forms of aid are offering a cure to only part of the problem – they cannot treat trauma, and they cannot stop the violent acts that cause the trauma in the first place. 2014 was the worst year on record for children in conflict and 2015 has seen further deterioration; being dubbed the ‘year of fear for children’ by UN Envoy for Education, and former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. The landmark summit, which will determine the fates of millions of children worldwide, takes place in Istanbul next May and is an initiative of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who stated: “The world is changing, and we need to make sure we change with it to meet the needs of those affected by crisis in a timely and effective manner… The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance around the world has doubled in just ten years.” He has called on UN member states to “aim high" and said the World Humanitarian Summit is “a major opportunity to align major global commitments to support the world’s most vulnerable people.” War Child is calling upon the UK Government to seize this unique opportunity and use its influence to prevent grave violations occurring against children in conflict emergencies. The HELP campaign aims to unite thousands of people behind this goal and asks them get behind the campaign by signing an online petition. You can sign the HELP campaign petition at http://warchild.campaignion.org/help