Fight for Humanity and the Centre on Armed Groups are pleased to release their summary report “Children’s Access to Essential Services: Perspectives and Practices of Non-State Armed Groups and De Facto Authorities”. The report forms part of a research funded by the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) that investigates the perceptions, motives, and practices of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and de facto authorities (DFAs) regarding children’s access to essential services across four case studies: Mali, Myanmar, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Yemen.

Across the four contexts studied, it was found that children’s access to essential services is primarily constrained by political fragmentation, competing governance structures, insecurity, infrastructure destruction, and shrinking humanitarian space.

The report also finds that while NSAGs and DFAs are not outright opposed to assistance provision to children and generally recognise the importance of granting them special protection, political, security, administrative, and ideological factors lead to the restriction or denial of humanitarian access.

Humanitarian actors are found to be overly cautious in engaging with NSAGs and DFAs due to political sensitivities and risk aversion. Additionally, local actors, though better positioned to navigate complex governance dynamics, face significant burdens in the conduct of their activities.

The report identifies education, mental health, and protection as potential entry points for constructive engagement with NSAGs and DFAs. This research shows that non-state armed groups are sensitive to the issue of children's access to essential services and mostly endorse international child right standards.