Red Hand Day 2025

February 12th marks adoption of the Optional Protocol of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for the protection of children in armed conflict. Also known as ‘Red Hand Day’, this day of international awareness aims to remind the international community to strengthen efforts to end the recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts. 

In 2024, ongoing escalation of armed conflicts, along with persistent violations of International Humanitarian Law and disregard for International Human Rights Law, has continued to have devastating consequences for children’s protection in 2024. The growing scale and intensity of conflicts, often without a foreseeable resolution, cast a dire shadow over the futures of countless children this year.

Today, the Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups (CAAFAG) Task Force and our members stand together for Red Hand Day, calling for urgent, collective action to prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, support their release, and address their recovery and reintegration needs.

In simple words: ‘End the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. Children must always be protected!’

This Red Hand Day, explore key tools and guidance to design and implement programmes for the prevention, release, and reintegration of CAAFAG below:

• The Massive Open Online Course on Programme Design for Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups (CAAFAG) provides CAAFAG background information, context analysis, programme design and strategic planning, implementation and monitoring, and learning and evaluation, and how to implement each step as per the CAAFAG programme development guidelines.
• The Inter-Agency CAAFAG Programme Development Toolkit provides field practitioners with the knowledge and skills to design quality gender-sensitive programmes for CAAFAG, with the involvement of children, including former CAAFAG. Available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic.
• The Inter-Agency Technical Note on Girls associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups provides recommendations to field practitioners and donors to programme effectively for girls associated with armed forces and armed groups. This note can also be used for advocacy purposes. Available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
• The Inter-Agency MHPSS in CAAFAG Programmes Resource Package (field-test version) is an inter-agency package of resources that aims to support the integration of MHPSS into programmes for the prevention, release, and reintegration of CAAFAG.  It includes field testing versions of the: Operational Guidance, Evidence Review, Contextualization Guidance, and Advocacy Brief.
• The CAAFAG cross-sectoral Technical Note on Education documents the opportunities, barriers and best practices for supporting CAAFAG. Available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
• The CAAFAG cross-sectoral Technical Note on Livelihoods documents the opportunities, barriers and best practices for supporting CAAFAG. Available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
• The Growing Stronger Together is a parenting intervention for caregivers of CAAFAG to promote the prevention of recruitment and the reintegration of CAAFAG. Available in English, French, and Arabic.
• The Paris Principles Operational Handbook contains information and advice on a comprehensive set of topics, from the applicable international legal frameworks to how to manage caseloads and how to approach specific issues such as economic reintegration or justice and accountability.