Ukraine Settlement Options Paper: Children

Abstract

The conflict arising out of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has wreaked disproportionate harms upon children – harms including killing or wounding, sexual violence, and loss of loved ones, homes, and schools through forced displacement. The list grew longer as the war dragged on, and children whose young age intersected with other attributes, such as ethnicity, LGBTI identity, or disability, confronted additional risks. This paper demonstrates the necessity of including this reality in processes aimed at settling armed conflicts like that in Ukraine. (The paper forms part of the Ukraine Peace Settlement Project of the University of Cambridge Lauterpacht Centre for International Law.) Building on recent international child law syntheses and two prior peace agreements, the paper proposes ways to assure particularized treatment of children’s experiences, needs, rights, and capacities in any negotiations and eventual settlement.

Keywords: international child law, child rights, human rights, conflict resolution, peace, peace agreements, international criminal law, transitional justice, international humanitarian law, international law, armed conflict, United Nations, children and armed conflict, International Criminal Court

JEL Classification: K33, K4, K14