Forgotten voices in the forgotten conflict. The role of children in post-conflict peacebuilding in Solomon Islands

Abstract

In the late 1990s, the Southwest Pacific state of Solomon Islands experienced a prolonged civil conflict. This had a profound, although largely undocumented, impact on children. Children were key actors in the fighting that transpired, both as combatants and as victims. This article situates Solomon Islands’ children within the hostilities that took place, analysing the efforts that have been made to incorporate their views in postconflict peacebuilding endeavours. Drawing on comparative literature, it is contended that there is an emerging international orthodoxy around children’s participation in peacebuilding efforts. A handful of relevant post-conflict, child-centred activities in Solomon Islands are analysed and critiqued – both from the perspective of incorporating children’s voices into programming efforts and from their position as beneficiaries. Show more