Inaugural Class of MAPI discusses practical and moral dilemmas in the protection of children in armed conflicts

On May 23rd, 2019, the Institute of International Relations of PUC-Rio’s held the inaugural class of Professional Master in Analysis and Management of International Politics (MAPI) at BRICS Policy Center. The inaugural class on the topic “Dealing with state and non-state parties to the conflict to protect children: moral and practical dilemmas” was led by Dee Brillenburg Wurth, Child Protection in Armed Conflict Advisor of the UN Mission in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Wurth is responsible for a team of nearly 30 child protection agents that monitors and reports abuses against children’s rights daily. The collected information is analyzed and integrated into the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism statistics.

The event discussed in more detail questions regarding the increasing phenomena of recruiting child soldiers, as well as MONUSCO’s perspectives and forms of action in the analyses of the different armed groups that they are handling, in order to learn how to carry out directed preventing activities and engage with the leaders based on a solid knowledge of their modus operandi. Moreover, Wurth also mentioned some of her joint actions with the UN in the operations of the liberation and social reintegration of child soldiers.