Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Harris.

I'm the person who's going to be guiding you through today's lesson.

The lesson today is called Is conflict a children's rights issue? and it's part of a larger series of lessons called Why do people move around the world? By the end of today's lesson, you are going to be able to say, "I can explain what conflict and rights are and explain how one impacts the other." Some of this learning might be new to you and some of it might be challenging.

I'm gonna guide us both all the way through it and we'll tackle it together.

First of all, we're gonna start with some ground rules.

Now, some of this topic today is quite sensitive, and so this is gonna be a really good way of how to approach it together.

Laura says, "Listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, challenge the statement, not the person." Andeep says, "Respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves." Jacob says, "No judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged." And finally, Izzy says, choose your level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose to not answer a question or to join a discussion.

We never put anybody on the spot." Thank you.

Let's start with some key words then.

So I'm going to say the key word.

You can repeat it back and then I'll tell you the definition.

Rights.

Rights are something we are entitled to by law.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

That is a legally binding international agreement that sets out the civil, political, social, and cultural rights of all children regardless of their race, religion, or abilities.

Conflict.

That is an active disagreement between people, groups, or countries, often involving armed force or violence.

It's time for our first learning cycle called What are children's rights? Rights are the things that every person is entitled to, and having the right to something means that you are allowed to do, say, or receive something.

This could be the right to be safe, access an education, be treated without discrimination or prejudice.

And Alex says that, "Rights also mean that you have a voice and the freedom to express yourself as long as it doesn't harm others." Now, globally and in the UK, there are many, many sets of rights which exist, and these are often protected by law.

Now, rights are not something you have to earn.

You don't have to do anything in order to get them.

They're given to everybody universally, and it's really important to understand your own rights, but also to respect and understand the rights of others as well.

Some rights that you come across might vary from country to country.

So for example, some countries might give rights to their citizens that other countries do not give their citizens the rights to.

Many rights, though, are agreed upon governments and organisations worldwide, and one of these organisations is the United Nations, known as the UN, and that's to help show that people are treated equally wherever they are in the world.

Izzy says here that, "The UN is an international organisation made up of most countries in the world.

Its aims are to promote peace, security, and international cooperation." Our first check for understanding then.

Can you complete this sentence by filling in the missing words? Rights are not something you have to earn, they are given to everyone.

I'll give you a few seconds to think about it.

Okay.

So rights are not something you have to earn.

They are given to everyone universally.

Well done if you got that one.

Now, one of the sets of rights that we've talked about being available globally is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and that's known as the UDHR.

And that was introduced on the 10th of December in 1948.

And there on your screen, you can see the flag of the United Nations, of the UN.

Now in World War II, the world had seen unimaginable suffering that the world hadn't seen before on that scale, especially in the Holocaust.

And that was where millions of people were killed, tortured, or persecuted, and their rights were taken away.

In response to this, the UN set out a charter of rights that applied to everyone everywhere, and it didn't matter what their race was, their nationality, their religion, or their background.

There on the screen that's an image showing the text at the start of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Now, the goal of the UDHR was to protect people from abuse and injustice.

The aim was to promote peace and to set a common standard for human dignity across all nations so that everybody has the rights to be treated in the same way: with dignity.

The UDHR also says that people have the rights to 30 particular rights and freedoms. For example, these could cover things like basic needs like food, water, shelter, and clothing, as well as other things like safety, healthcare, freedom of opinion, respect, work and education.

Here on your screen on the right, you have the logo of human rights, which combines the silhouette of a flying bird with that of an open hand.

Now, the UDHR was the first international agreement to say that all people have basic rights just for being human.

It's influenced laws and constitutions in many, many countries since then.

And although the UDHR is not a law in itself, it is a powerful symbol of freedom, equality, and justice, which helps promote that across the world.

Another check for understanding, this time a true-or-false one.

The UN created the UDHR to only protect children's rights.

Is that true or false? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, this is false, and why is it false? Take a few more seconds to think.

Okay, it's false because the UN created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to set out the basic rights that all people should have, not just children.

Well done if you got that one.

So as well as the UDHR, there's also the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or the UNCRC.

Lucas here is explaining that a little bit more to us, and he says, "The UNCRC was created in 1989.

It contains 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child's life and set out all of their different rights.

It was created to make sure that governments around the world protect and respect these rights for every child no matter where they live." This convention is the most widely signed human rights document in history.

To date, 196 countries have signed the UNCRC agreement to protect the rights of children and all the rights within it are linked and no right is considered to be more important than another.

So for example, every child has got the right to: relax and play, to have freedom of expression, to be safe from violence, to have an education, to have protection of their identity, a sufficient standard of living, to know their own rights, and for health and health services.

And this is just some of the ones that are contained within it.

Now, as we've said, the UNCRC is for all children, and these rights apply to every child with every child given the right to access them.

And it also explains, the convention explains, how adults and governments have to work together to make sure that all children can access their rights even in times of emergencies.

So things like conflicts and natural disasters, these rights still apply.

Another check for understanding, then.

What are the missing words from this image? We've got, "Blank on the right of the blank." Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so the missing words from this image, the top one is convention, and the second one is child.

Convention on the rights of the child.

Well done if you got that one.

We're now onto Task A and for this task, you are going to write one paragraph to explain how the rights of people, including children, are protected across the world.

So for this, you might want to include information about what the rights are, the different agreements in place to protect these rights, so for example, the Declaration of Human Rights or the UNCRC, and then you might want to explain how these help protect the rights of people around the world.

A good idea now is to pause the video to give yourself the time to do this, and then we'll come back and look at some possible answers together.

Okay, let's look at some possible answers then.

So here we are writing one paragraph to explain how the rights of people, including children, are protected across the world.

And your response might look something like this: Rights are the basic things every person is entitled to, like safety, education, and freedom from harm.

To help protect these rights, countries around the world have agreed to important documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, for all people, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which focuses on children.

These agreements set out what governments must do to help everyone live safely and fairly.

For example, the UNCRC says children have the right to education.

So even during conflicts or disasters, schools and learning will still be supported.

Well done if you've managed to get some of those key things in there about the rights of people and how these are protected.

Well done.

It's time for our second learning cycle now called How do children's rights link to conflict? Migration is when people move between places and across borders.

Now, this could be for a huge variety of positive or negative reasons, and we can categorise the reasons why people migrate, why they move into main ways.

One of these is pull factors, and they are the different reasons why that encourage or attract people to move to another country.

So they pull them in, they pull them in that direction.

The other ones are the opposite of that, the push factors, and these are the things that encourage or force people to leave a country.

They kind of push them away from that country.

Sometimes people migrate due to both push factors and pull factors at the same time.

Conflict is a push factor.

Now, when countries are involved in conflicts, it can force people to have to leave their homes because it creates things like danger, fear, instability.

Now, war or violence can also destroy homes, schools, and hospitals and make it very unsafe for people to actually stay and to live there.

So people often have to flee to protect not only themselves and their lives, but just to find that safety for themselves and their families as well.

When people are forced to leave, they become either internally displaced, asylum seekers, or refugees.

Let's look at some of the differences then between those three types of people.

So if you are moving within the same country, so moving from one area to another area of that country, that's known as being internally displaced.

And so that still means that you're under the protection of their own government there, even if that government is the reason why you're having to be moved.

So that's moving within the same country is internally displaced.

And then we have people who have to cross borders into another country, and some of those people are known as asylum seekers.

And when you're an asylum seeker, it means you're moving to another country to seek protection in that country as a refugee.

However, they're not refugees yet because their case hasn't been accepted as being in danger.

So they have to wait for that to be fully accepted.

So at the moment, before it's accepted, is an asylum seeker.

And then if that claim has been accepted, then they are known as a refugee, and then that gives them specific rights and protections under international law.

So there we have people who are asylum seekers before their claim is accepted and a refugee if their claim then is accepted.

Let's hear a little bit now from Ana.

So this is to do with the Russia-Ukrainian War, and she says, "My name is Ana and I am from Ukraine.

In 2022, a war began in my country when conflict broke out with Russia.

Fighting started in eastern parts and quickly spread to many areas, including large cities." Now, as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian War breaking out, millions of people were forced to leave their homes to find safety.

Now, this happened in other parts of Ukraine, so they stayed within that country and also moving to other countries to find safety.

The war in the country has affected daily life for many, many millions of people and a lot of the children who are still there.

So for some children, their schools have been damaged, families have been separated, and some children have actually lost access to things like healthcare, education, and a safe place to live, some of the basic rights that everybody should have.

The countries which border Ukraine, so that's Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, they've accepted Ukrainian citizens as asylum seekers and then have granted them refugee status.

However, a lot of these countries are really struggling to support the sheer number of people entering the country are seeking safety.

And so as a result, some Ukrainians have moved further afield to countries including the UK and Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, and there were some independent organisations, some intergovernmental organisations and other countries have worked together to help create temporary and some permanent accommodations for those people who need it who are fleeing this war.

A quick check for understanding then.

So the Russia-Ukrainian War began, in which year? Was it 2022, 2023, or 2024.

Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so the answer to this is 2022.

And Izzy says, "Yes, the current Russia-Ukrainian War began in 2022.

Well done if you got that one.

During conflicts and during wars, it's children who are especially vulnerable during this time.

They're more likely to be injured, they're more likely to lose their homes, and they're more likely to be separated from their families.

Schools and hospitals that children rely on could be damaged or completely destroyed, and that can leave them without the simple basic things of education and healthcare.

As well as this, you've got the things like the fear and the uncertainty of the conflict and the war situation that they're in.

This can negatively affect children's mental health and their sense of safety as well.

Now, many children are forced to flee to stay safe and they become refugees and they end up living in temporary shelters.

And this can often be very far from home.

It's really important to understand how children's rights are affected during conflict, and we can do this by comparing their experiences to the rights that are set out in the UNCRC.

So how are the rights of children affected during conflict? Well, let's look at that and we're going to compare it with the different articles that are set out in this UNCRC.

So one of these is Article 6, which is the right to life, survival, and development.

And the impact of conflict on this can mean bombing and fighting puts children's lives at risk.

Children might lose parents' homes or basic care.

A Ukrainian example of this is as of early 2025, over 2,000 children have been injured or killed since the conflict began.

In some cities in Ukraine, children have spent thousands of hours sheltering underground.

Another article is Article 19, and this is the right to be safe from violence.

And the impact of conflict on this is that children may witness or experience violence.

Some are recruited as child soldiers, and that's in other countries.

A Ukraine example is that some children are living in areas where missiles are falling, which can cause fear and trauma to them, as well as the physical risk of injury or death for them, their family, or their communities as well.

Another one is Article 20, which is the right to education.

And the impact of conflict on education could be that schools are damaged or unsafe, and it could be that education is disrupted or stopped altogether.

Now, Ana here says, "As of February, 2025, over 1,600 schools in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed since the conflict began.

Nearly 40% of children across Ukraine either study only online or through a mixture of in-person and remote classes." Another check for understanding now.

So can you complete the sentences with the missing words? And here is a word bank to help you out.

So the three words we have here are lose, conflict, and bombings.

And here is the little paragraph below, "Some of the impacts of mm on a child's right to life, survival, and development are that mm and fighting put children's lives at risk.

Children may also mm family members, their homes, access to basic care." Can you put these three words into the correct places? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay then.

So, "Some of The impacts of conflict on a child's right to life, survival and development are that bombings and fighting put children's lives at risk.

Children may also lose family members, their homes, or access to basic care." Well done if you've got those three in the correct place.

Let's continue then looking at how the rights of children are affected during conflict and how this compares to those articles set out in the UNCRC.

So another one of these articles is Article 24, which is the right to health and healthcare.

And the impact of conflicts anywhere in the world could be hospitals are targeted or overcrowded and children might not have access to doctors, medicine, or vaccinations.

And a Ukraine example of this is that in some areas, attacks on hospitals are making it really hard for families to get help.

And as of February, 2025, over 718 medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed.

Another right that is affected comes under Article 9, and that's the right to a family life.

Now, again, in any conflict globally, children and families may be separated when fleeing war and also some children might become orphans or are displaced.

A Ukraine example here is given by Ana and she says, "When my mom and I fled Ukraine, my dad had to stay behind with my grandparents.

My friend also left with her mom, but her older brother couldn't go with them.

Having our family split apart has been incredibly hard on all of us." Another right that is affected is Article 27, and that's the right to shelter, food, and water.

Again, the impact of conflict could be that homes are destroyed and food supply chains are broken down.

Clean water can also become really scarce and hard to get hold of.

A Ukraine example of this is that many children are living in temporary shelters or accommodation and they rely on food aid.

And since February, 2022 when the conflict broke out, more than half of Ukraine's seven and a half million children have experienced displacement, so living in a place other than their actual home.

And another one is the Article 12, and that is the right to express views and be heard.

And the impact of conflict on this right can be in emergency situations, children's voices are often overlooked, and displaced children might feel powerless like they have got no control over their lives at the time.

A Ukraine example of this is that many Ukrainian children are reporting that they feel very hopeless and they've got a lot of sadness and some are completely unable to engage in what they usually like to do, their usual activities.

And as of February, 2025, of those that had to shelter underground, over half of 13 to 15 year olds have reported that they've had trouble sleeping and one in five are experiencing intrusive thoughts and flashbacks as well, which are really affecting their mental health.

Another check for understanding then.

So Laura is talking about when families leave a country because of conflict.

Is she correct? And if not, why not? So Laura says, "It's very hard when families have to leave their homes, but at least they all stay safe together." So is she correct? If not, why not? Take a few seconds to think.

So is Laura right? Well, no, not really.

So she's right in that it's very hard to leave behind a home and a community and a town that you live in.

But for many families that have been involved in conflict, it's made so much worse because families become separated too.

So in the case of Ana in Ukraine, her father and grandparents had to stay behind and her friend's older brother was also separated from his family.

And this is what impacts then that child's right to have a family life.

Well done if you got that one.

Now, even in times of conflict, there are many people and groups that are working really, really hard to actually protect and meet children's rights wherever they can.

And this is often done by humanitarian and aid groups, teachers, medics, and volunteers as well.

Organisations like the United Nations Children's Fund, which is known as UNICEF, and Save the Children, their jobs are to focus specifically on protecting children and their rights during conflict.

And they do things like provide emergency healthcare and safety and shelter, also to provide things like education, food, and safe spaces all whilst at the same time protecting children from violence and other harms. They also do things like support family reunification, so bringing families back together again and children finding their parents or other family members.

And they also offer things like psychosocial care to help children cope with the physical trauma of living in a conflict situation, but also the mental trauma of living in these crisis situations.

So how can the rights of children be protected during conflict? Well, let's look at Article 19 again.

So the right to be safe from violence.

Well, these organisations are setting up safe spaces and shelters to protect children who are fleeing active conflict zones.

They can have awareness campaigns to teach how to keep children safe during emergencies too.

The right to education, Article 28, can be protected through temporary schools being set up in refugee camps and underground shelters, online learning platforms can be created, and organisations like UNICEF are working with local teachers to ensure that they've got resources.

So for example, distributing laptops and learning packs to children.

Article 12, the right to express views and be heard, this can be protected by giving children the chance to speak.

So in Ukraine, young refugees, so some teenagers, they shared their experiences with the UN as the international organisation, and that helps decision makers understand the teenagers and the children's needs and perspectives on the situation that they're in.

Article 9, the right to a family life.

Children's rights can be protected when organisations like Save the Children help track missing relatives, and they also transport children safely across borders with trusted adults.

And international organisation support with things like travel and legal documents for families who are crossing borders in order to escape war.

Article 24, which is the right to health and healthcare.

So this can be protected by mobile clinics being set up near conflict zones, things like vaccination drives, so making sure children are still getting their vaccinations, their injections, and also things like mental health support.

These can all be provided in the shelters.

UNICEF has been delivering health kits to displaced families in Ukraine as it does in many different global conflicts.

Article 27, the right to shelter food and water.

Children and families are receiving emergency kits with things like nappies, food, bottled water, and warm clothing and refugees and asylum seekers can be housed in schools, churches, sports halls, and even host family homes as well, even across borders.

And Article 6, the right to life, survival, and development.

This right can be protected with things like counselling services, which support children's emotional wellbeing during conflict.

And also things like safe spaces called Blue Dot Centres are set up along refugee routes to give children safe places with toys, beds, and help, and just a space to relax in a really volatile time for them.

Also things like emergency kits with food, warm clothes and hygiene items can help support children's basic needs too.

A quick check for understanding then.

So Ana says that, "Some children's charities are really helping children back in Ukraine.

One gives out education packs and helps provide online learning.

And another has been helping track down families of children who've been separated from their parents and loved ones." Which two children's charities that protect children's rights during conflict is Ana discussing? Can you remember their names? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so the names of the two children's charities that protect children's rights Ana's been discussing are Save the Children and UNICEF.

Well done if you've got those ones.

It's time for Task B now.

So the first part of this task is to match the consequence of conflict with which rights it impacts.

So we have, A, children living near fighting; some injured or killed, B, schools bombed or closed; online learning where possible, C, families split up; some children forced to flee alone, and D, hospitals damaged; harder to get medicine or medical care.

And the rights that we're talking about here are: the right to health and healthcare, the right to be safe from violence, the right to education, or the right to family life.

So which consequence matches which right it impacts? Pause the video to give yourself the time to do this, and then we'll check the answers together.

Okay, then let's check these answers.

So your answers should look like this.

So A, children living near fighting; some injured or killed, that impacts the right to be safe from violence, B, schools bombed or closed; with online learning where possible, this impacts the right to education, C, families split up with some children forced to flee alone, this impacts the right to family life, and D, the hospitals damaged; harder to get medicine or healthcare, and that is the right to health and healthcare.

Well done if you've got those ones.

Part two of this task then is to think about how are children's rights protected during conflict? So I'd like you to write a response to this question and to consider how organisations attempt to help children.

And so I've given you now some sentence starters to help support your response.

And these are "Some of the children's rights that are affected during conflict are.

." and also, "Organisations like mm and mm try to help by mm.

." Pause the video to give yourself the time to do this task and then we'll come back and we'll look at some possible responses.

Okay, let's have a look at part two of this task then.

How are children's rights protected during conflict? So you might have said something like this: Some of the children's rights that are affected during conflict are the right to safety, healthcare, education, and protection from violence.

Organisations like UNICEF and Save the Children try to help by setting up safe spaces like Blue Dot Centres, providing emergency kits with food, water, and warm clothing, and offering counselling to support children's mental health.

Mobile clinics give medical care and vaccinations near conflict zones and temporary schools and online learning platforms help children continue their education.

Charities also work to reunite families and transport children safely across borders, helping to protect their rights during a very difficult time.

Well done if you manage to get some of those ways that children's rights are protected during conflict.

Time to summarise our learning from this lesson then, which has been called Is conflict a children's rights issue? Rights are the things that every person is guaranteed and entitled to have by law.

They are universal and are made so that everyone can have a healthy, safe, and happy life no matter their age, background, race, religion, or gender.

Children have 54 rights that are outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child or the UNCRC.

During conflict, many of these rights are put at risk.

Children may lose access to basics like shelter and safety, which can affect them physically and emotionally.

There are organisations which exist to help protect children's rights and provide support during crises.

They offer emergency aid, safe spaces, and work to keep children safe, healthy, and heard.

Well done for sticking with me throughout this lesson.

There's been some really sensitive subjects discussed today, and I'm really proud of you for sticking with me.

I hope to see you again soon.