“How to Deal with Persistent Perpetrators?” will be the question at hand when experts gather at Princeton University next month. Princeton’s Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination is convening the February 7-8 Workshop on Children and Armed Conflict in cooperation with Liechtenstein’s Permanent U.N. Mission and a New York-based nongovernmental organization, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict. Regarding the topic (also see here and here), organizers write:

‘In armed conflict around the world, hundreds of thousands of boys and girls face serious violations of their safety and human rights, including forced recruitment and abduction. Girls are often disproportionately affected by sexual violence, exploitation, and abuse in conflict zones. The day-to-day lives of children in areas of armed conflict are further impacted by attacks on schools and hospitals. Although the United Nations’ Children and Armed Conflict agenda has made tangible progress in recent years to hold perpetrators accountable and to prevent future violations, there remains an urgent need for more effective programs and policies to address the needs of children and families affected by armed conflict.’

The public session on Thursday, February 7, will begin with a director-led screening of the short film Ana’s Playground (2009). Thereafter, Leila Zerrougui, the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, will deliver a keynote on “The Role of the United Nations in Protecting the Rights of Children Affected by Armed Conflict,” and a panel composed of  Jo Becker, Advocacy Director for the Children’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, and Eva Smets, Director of WatchList on Children and Armed Conflict, will examine “The Role of the UN and NGOs in Protecting the Rights of Children Affected by Armed Conflict.” The gathering will conclude the next day with a closed-door experts’ workshop. (image credit)

Details and RSVP here.