Children's Rights in Digitalised Societies and Conflict Times: Perspectives from Southeast Asia and the Arab World. Policy brief

Abstract

Children navigate very complicated landscapes in Southeast Asia and the Arab world, both offline and online. The presence of various conflicts and the rapid digitalisation complicates their living experiences and presents significant risks to their rights, alongside opportunities.

This policy brief examines how digital technologies and armed conflicts intersect to impact children’s rights in eight countries: Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Sudan. This report builds upon field insights, youth ideas, and a review of legal frameworks. It identifies major challenges including online sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, digital surveillance, misinformation, and recruitment into armed groups. Factors that make children especially vulnerable include: the presence of weak legal protections to enforce their rights in the digital world, digital illiteracy, and the socio-political instability. Despite international commitments like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and regional frameworks such as ASEAN’s Regional Plan of Action, and the Arab Charter on Human Rights, implementation remains fragmented and under-resourced. This is especially true in contexts of conflict. The report proposes five policy alternatives: a harmonisation between national laws and international standards, the fostering of regional cooperation through organizations such as ASEAN and the League of Arab States, making digital ecosystems more inclusive, establishing national digital emergency platforms, and creating digital learning centres in conflict zones. These recommendations aim to strengthen child-centred digital governance and empower children as rights-holders in these digitalised environments, who must be prioritized.