Peace & Stability Journal Volume 8, Issue 2 | Page 15

WPS in the News Children and Extreme Violence: The Recruitment and Use of Children by Non-state Armed Groups in Contemporary Conflict. In today’s civil conflicts, children are being coerced, recruited, and used by non-state armed groups at alarming rates. Children are increasingly being used for extreme violence, including to conduct suicide attacks and perform executions. The extent and depth of the trauma children suffer at the hands of non-state armed groups, or within their ranks, threatens to create a lost generation in parts of Syria, Iraq, Mali and Nigeria. The scale of this tragedy demands our attention — and our response. (United Nations University) Coca-Cola Program Empowered More Than 10,000 Nigeri- an Girls to Secure Employment and Build Self-Confidence. The Coca-Cola Company, together with the UK Department for International Development, Mercy Corps, and local part- ners, undertook a multifaceted effort to educate and econom- ically empower marginalized Nigerian girls who face signifi- cant social and cultural barriers to realizing their potentials. (Georgetown Institute for WPS) Key Findings: More than 10,000 out-of-school participants (out of 13,024) were linked to employment as a result of the program, with more than half joining the Coca-Cola value chain. Program participants were more likely to: • run their own business or manage a business • hold a savings account • report higher levels of self-confidence • report better knowledge of the skills required to run a small business Upcoming Dates of Note ▶ 21 June 2018 – WPS Synch VTC ▶ 1-3 October 2018 – FVEY Conference in Sweden ▶ 15 October 2018 - International Day of Rural Women ▶ 25 November - 10 December 2018 – 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence ▶ 25 November 2018 - International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) 13