Role play on access to children in armed conflicts

Session 7: Handout 7.8

Humanitarian agencies' role

In the Eastern part of the country you are operating in, a rebel movement called the PAFF has taken over a large part of the territory, and has seized the second city of the country. The commander for the rebels has declared that he will take over the whole country. He is gaining territory by the day, and the threat is becoming real. The conflict has been going on for a couple of years, but has intensified recently. The government troops have had many casualties in the recent fighting.

You are representing the humanitarian community in this dispute. For two weeks the government has denied access to the rebel held areas, and the situation is becoming increasingly difficult for the civilian population. You have carried out assessment missions on the ground, and found that some 200,000 persons have been displaced because of the fighting between the rebels (PAFF) and the government troops. Not only that, but there are some 110,000 refugees from neigbouring countries who are trapped in the rebel held areas. Most of the victims are women and children. The rains are making the situation even worse, and there is a threat of a cholera epidemic. There is great need for food, shelter and medication. Without your aid the civilian population will not survive. You are aware that the government has ratified the Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The government has also ratified the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocols. Those are the legal tools you have at hand. You know that the government has denied access for military and political reasons, but you are also aware that they will use arguments related to sovereignty and recognition of the rebels. It is your task to convince the government that according to international human rights and humanitarian law the civilian population has a right to humanitarian assistance and that, therefore, your organization should be granted access to the people in need.

What arguments do you present in relation to the argument that this is an internal matter that no outsiders should deal with? Which international legal instruments are applicable to this type of non-international armed conflicts? What legal or other arguments do you present in relation to the situation of the civilian population, children in particular?