TRP’s Side Event at the Munich Security Conference

February 16, 2025

Munich, Germany– Yesterday, The Reckoning Project (TRP) hosted a pivotal side event at the Munich Security Conference, addressing the deliberate targeting of children during conflict. This timely discussion highlighted the grave human rights violations faced by children in war zones and the critical need for global accountability and action.

Moderated by Janine di Giovanni, CEO of TRP, the event featured a distinguished panel of experts, including Tirana Hassan (Executive Director of Human Rights Watch), Agnès Callamard (Secretary General of Amnesty International), Andrew Gilmour (Former UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights), Ibrahim Olabi (Chief Legal Counsel of TRP) and Oleksandra Matviichuk (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties).

Drawing from TRP’s extensive work in Ukraine, the panelists discussed the deliberate targeting of children during war—whether through indoctrination, forced assimilation, or other violations of human rights. The discussion underscored how these atrocities not only erase identities but also destabilize societies and perpetuate cycles of conflict.

The event also highlighted the urgency of holding perpetrators accountable. While there is no single solution to the complex issue of child indoctrination and wartime abuses, documentation remains central to ensuring justice. TRP’s team has dedicated significant efforts to documenting Russia’s abuse of Ukrainian children, a key focus of the side event.

As a direct outcome of the side event, TRP is launching a Task Force to develop a new protocol for documenting violations against children in conflict zones. This protocol will aim to hold perpetrators accountable while also offering a comprehensive framework for prevention.

TRP is calling on experts from diverse fields, including international law, history, economics, and psychology, to contribute to this important initiative. TRP’s plans to present the final protocol at the Munich Security Conference in 2026.

For more information or to join the Task Force, please reach out to us.