Research, intervention, and prevention of children’s exposure to political violence: The role of international law and social science research

This chapter reviews the research on the effects of EPV and on the intervention programs contained in this volume, and discusses the theoretical, methodological and ethical issues relating to these reports. In addition, building on the implications of the research for prevention of EPV, the chapter reviews the enforcement gap between international humanitarian and human rights law designed to protect children from EPV and the reality of increasing EPV in the world. It also discusses factors that have led to the enforcement gap, including weaknesses in enforcement mechanisms and psychosocial processes that lead individuals and groups to discount the rights of children. Finally, a we suggest approaches that researchers and practioners in the social sciences and international law could take for protecting children and families from EPV in armed conflict.