STK and PRIO host the launch of the EuroWARCHILD project
On June 1st, the Centre for Gender Research and the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security hosted the launch of the EuroWARCHILD project. The launch brought together scholars and practitioners, as well as European war-children, to discuss what it means to be a child born of war.
The launch opened with welcoming remarks from PRIO Director Henrik Urdal, followed by an introduction to the research project by Project Leader Inger Skjelsbæk, and doctoral researchers Johanne Rokke Elvebakken and Lina Stotz. The subsequent session included a keynote address by Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten, and a panel discussion with Norway's Special Representative for the Protection of Civilians, Cathrine Andersen, and Communication Director in Save the Children Norway, Gunvor Knag Fylkesnes. The session was chaired by PRIO Deputy Director Torunn L. Tryggestad.
The final session of the launch - chaired by Professor Ingvill Constanze Ødegaard -encompassed a panel discussion with three 'children born of war' (CBOW), Winfried Behlau, Lejla Damon, and Elna Johansen, and researcher Dr. Norman Mukasa. These now-adult children born of war shared their experiences growing up as children born to local mothers, fathered by enemy soldiers (conceived either through both conflict-related sexual violence or consensual relationships). They also engaging in a discussion on how societies can best care for children born of war after conflicts end, and what basic rights need to be ensured for these children.