Quality Education

En este capítulo se presentan algunas herramientas que complementan las diversas herramientas y técnicas de evaluación presentadas en la Parte 4 de la publicación Cómo evaluar las actividades de capacitación en derechos humanos: Manual para educadores en derechos humanos de acnudh - Equitas. Pueden adaptarse fácilmente, o utilizarse como inspiración, para determinados cursos y sesiones de formación en materia de derechos humanos, teniendo en cuenta que cualquier material debe responder a las necesidades específicas de los participantes.

The preparation of this Training Manual, an initiative under the framework of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Global Programme on Violence against Children, was made possible by the cooperative efforts and invaluable contributions of several individuals and Governments.

Así como el trabajo del responsable de la capacitación comienza mucho antes de la ejecución, también continúa después de finalizado el curso. En este capítulo se analiza la preparación del informe de capacitación, las actividades de seguimiento y la orientación metodológica para evaluar el impacto de la capacitación.

The recruitment and exploitation of children by terrorist and violent extremist groups has risen to international attention in recent years. The circumstances in which children are recruited and exploited by terrorist and violent extremist groups vary widely and this phenomenon takes place in both conflict and non-conflict settings.

Family members have a protective role over children, benefiting from a close connection and intimate knowledge of children’s lives. They are an essential part of a child’s protective environment. Parents are often best positioned to notice changes in a child’s attitudes and behaviours. The family unit, as a conduit of culture and beliefs, plays a central role in shaping attitudes towards non-violence and affirming a sense of belonging. Families also play a key role in the reintegration of children victims of recruitment after their release and can help prevent re-recruitment.

As a matter of good practice, a holistic and cross-sectoral approach must be adopted when planning to prevent child recruitment by terrorist and violent extremist groups. While much remains to be known and empirically verified about the most effective prevention strategies, insights can be drawn from effective techniques in the area of crime prevention, including the prevention of violence against children in its many forms, as well as general ways to counter terrorism and violent extremism. From these considerations, it can be acknowledged that there may be foreseeable challenges to implementing an intersectoral approach, including those relating to privacy and information sharing, defining distinct roles of actors within an intersectoral setting, and the logistics of resourcing and funding.

The authors use terrorism and violent extremism interchangeably, but it is worth highlighting that when quoting the interview or questionnaire participants, the authors have retained the respondents’ use of the term “jihadists” or “jihadism”. Among Malian youth, and Malian society more generally, these terms – or indeed the term terrorism itself – are used to describe actors or actions that fall outside of the normally accepted definition.

So far, this report has described how young Malians see their life and their environment, in a context characterised by violence and danger. Accounting for their definitions of who is a terrorist and what constitutes a threat for them, the data has demonstrated how they perceive the presence of terrorism, and how these groups affect their life in various ways. Nevertheless, young people should not be regarded only as victims, or as passive observers of the situation they have to face. Some have actively chosen to engage in violent extremism. However, this group represents only a small fraction of Malian youth. A far greater majority have made the choice not to engage in violent or criminal activities. Some are actively looking for and implementing possible solutions, and offering their contribution to reaffirm peace and security in their communities and in their country. Others are opting for finding a way to live with the dangers by which they are surrounded. The reasons behind their choices are numerous and diverse.

Since 2012, Mali has faced significant instability, increasing episodes of violence and ongoing tensions generated by separate but interlinked issues, including scarcity of resources, longstanding intercommunal tensions, poor governance and weak provision of services. In such a context, various armed and terrorist groups have established their presence in Mali, initially in the north of the country but with a clear shift towards the centre and the south in recent years. The institutional fragility, increased availability of weapons, effects of climate change on a traditional pastoral and agricultural economy, porousness of borders, and existing forms of informal trade have facilitated dangerous collaboration between terrorist and organised crime groups. Their presence has progressively exacerbated tensions among different ethnic groups and communities, as demonstrated by a serious upsurge of violence and ethnically targeted killings in central Mali.