New Research Report: Perspectives and Practices of Non-State Armed Groups and De Facto Authorities on Children's Access to Essential Services

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. For instance, several NSAGs/DFAs have imposed registration requirements for humanitarian actors, interfered in programming, and placed restrictions on female aid workers. 

Humanitarian actors are found to be overly cautious in engaging with NSAGs and DFAs due to political sensitivities and risk aversion. In Gaza, policies of non-engagement with designated terrorist groups were said to undermine negotiations on humanitarian access. Local actors, though better positioned to navigate complex governance dynamics, face significant burdens in the conduct of their activities, such as limited funding and insufficient institutional management capacity. 

The report identifies education, mental health, and protection as potential entry points for constructive engagement with NSAGs and DFAs. “Engaging with non-state armed groups and de facto authorities does not mean endorsing their views”, said Pascal Bongard, Senior Researcher at the Centre on Armed Groups. “Our research found that at times, it has yielded positive outcomes, such as reduced child recruitment, reopening of schools, and the lifting of sieges”, he added. Fight for Humanity Co-Director, Anki Sjöberg, further emphasised that: “It is essential to normalise the engagement with all parties to a conflict, without compromising humanitarian principles. This research shows that they are sensitive to the issue of children’s access to essential services and mostly endorse international child rights standards.” 

The research relies on 143 key informant interviews, four focus group discussions, and extensive literature reviews, conducted between February and November 2025 and involving NSAGs and DFAs, governments, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, community-based organisations, community leaders, religious leaders, experts, and donors. 

Read the Full Report