The Convention on the Rights of the Child has been almost universally ratified, with only two states excepted, Somalia and the United States. The convention reflects universal values for the protection and nurturing of children. In today's conflicts, the basic norms, standards and values in a society are under attack. Civilians are intended targets and are no longer collateral damage. Children are deliberately attacked because they are the children of the enemy.
Dehumanization is a tool used to help people justify killing.
In Bosnia, rape has been used as a weapon of war. As early as possible, sowing the seeds of post-conflict rehabilitation and indigenous capacity to ensure the welfare and protection of the child, whether at the community or national level. In El Salvador in the mid 1980s, James Grant worked with the parties to the conflict to arrange a cease-fire to immunize children. This cease-fire led the parties to work together, contributing to the peace process. Lebanon in the late 1980s is another example of cease-fires for national immunization days.