COAV, or Children in organized armed violence, futures at-risk
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Experts coined the term, “Children in Organized Armed Violence” (COAV) to distinguish children and teenagers employed by or participating in armed gangs in non-war settings, from the other internationally recognized group of “child soldiers.” The goal is to alert people to the growing problem around the world, raising awareness of the motives for child and youth involvement in gun violence. The recognition of COAV is a first step to spur the creation of public policies for violence prevention and the rehabilitation of the children and youths affected, to protect their civil rights and not to legitimize the use of state force against them. Wherever COAV is found, we also find those involved are victims of exclusion, racial or social discrimination, poverty and a denial of their rights of citizenship. With no mechanisms to protect them and/or lead them away from a life of violence, children and adolescents will continue to be employed by armed groups, participating in gun violence as victims and perpetrators, packing youth detention centers, jails and cemeteries. Among the examples of children and youth involved in organized armed violence are the drug trafficking factions in territorial disputes, and youth gangs that originated in the social and ethnic conflicts in Central America, Europe the United States and South Africa, the issue has also been associated to the emergence of death squads, “enforcers” and “vigilantes” The COAV concept has been studied, adopted and divulged through network of international collaborators since 2003. In the last three years, the debate about the topic has intensified in the international arena. International comparisons of children and youth in organised armed violence A case study of organized armed violence in Rio de Janeiro Read Further: A project created by Rebeca Pérez Mellado, from Viva Rio, presented in New York in October 2006, with detailed information about the COAV concept, Viva Rio’s work on the topic and the proposal to create an international network on the topic. Read Further: The Children and Adolescents in Organized Armed Violence program, COAV, and the COAV Cities Project |
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