UNODC – Global Programme to End Violence against Children

Period: September 2022 – Ongoing
Client/Partner: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

UNODC’s mission is to contribute to a world safer from crime, drugs, and terrorism. Child-friendly justice systems and the end of violence against children are part of this mission.

For the Global programme to end violence against children I co-led the youth-led community based awareness raising campaign for the protection of children recruited by violent extremist groups, under the framework of the EU-UNODC Strive Juvenile Project in North-East Nigeria.

Since 2023, I am supporting the END-VAC team with technical advice and training development and delivery, under the project of the US-funded initiative Protecting children from violence in contexts of insecurity in North East Nigeria. The project is building on the main achievements of the STRIVE Juvenile in Nigeria and on its youth-led and community-led awareness raising campaign for the protection of children formerly recruited by violent extremist groups.

As an expert on Child Justice, I also carried out an ad hoc Technical Assistance Needs Assessment of child justice in Punjab, Pakistan, with desk research and interviews to child justice professionals in Lahore (October 2022).

In 2024 I have been involved in supporting the EU-funded action on “Countering and preventing terrorism in Pakistan” and drafted a needs assessment of the main challenges and vulnerabilities faced by children and youth in relation to recruitment from terrorist groups in Pakistan. This report has been fed by information gathered during two consultation workshops I co-organised and co-facilitated in Islamabad (November 2024).

• November 2024 – Islamabad (Pakistan)
  Workshop consultations with policy makers and with civil society representatives on the recruitment of children by terrorist groups

  As a UNODC consultant, I co-organised, co-facilitated and participated in a four-day consultative workshop in Islamabad on the challenges and vulnerabilities of youth across Pakistan. The first two days were a consultative exchange with policy makers at federal and provincial level, and the following two days with representatives of civil society organizations working with youth across the country.

  

• October 2024 – Abuja (Nigeria)
  Workshop training for public prosecutors (3 days) on the rights of child victims and witnesses in a context of insecurity.

  As a UNODC consultant, I co-led a training on the treatment of child victims and witnesses of crime and violence in contexts of insecurity, including recruitment and exploitation by armed groups.

  

  read unodc’s article
• October 2024 – Abuja (Nigeria)
  Workshop training for policy makers (2 days) on the recruitment of children by terrorist groups and on the international, national and local legal framework.

  As a UNODC consultant, I co-led a training on the treatment of child victims of recruitment and exploitation by armed groups in contexts of insecurity, for policy makers from the three target States in North-East Nigeria: Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

  

  read unodc’s article
• August 2024 – Abuja (Nigeria)
  END VAC Global Programme, training for youth peace champions on restorative justice and peace building
  
  I co-lead a training on the paths and stories children experience in North East Nigeria when recruited by terrorist groups, and on restorative approaches for their reintegration and for community peace-building.

  

  read unodc’s article
• 28 August – 01 September 2023 Maiduguri (Nigeria)
  Training workshop on low-level conflict mediation and on the treatment of children formerly associated with terrorist groups, with Youth Peace Champions and Community Representatives
  
  I co-organised and participated in the 4-day workshop.

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• 8 – 10 June 2023 Strasbourg (France)
  EYE2023

  I co-organised and co-led two workshops on ‘Young people as agents to protect children from terrorism and violent extremism’

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• 22 December 2022
  Roundtable with Child Justice Stakeholders in Punjab, Pakistan

  I presented the needs assessment research conducted on behalf of UNODC in October 2022 and the report drafted on the main gaps and recommendations for reform of the juvenile justice system in Punjab, Pakistan.

• 6-9 September 2022 Abuja (Nigeria)
  EU-UNODC capacity building on the treatment of children formerly recruited by terrorist and violent extremist groups

  I attended 2-day training, and I moderated a roundtable with youth representatives to conceptualise and develop the plan for the awareness raising campaign on the protection of children formerly recruited by terrorist and violent extremist groups in Borno State.