In armed conflicts around the world, children and adolescents are subjected to egregious violations, such as sexual violence, killing and maiming, abduction, and recruitment and use as child soldiers. The day-to-day lives of these children are further disrupted by attacks on their schools and hospitals, and by the denial of humanitarian assistance.
Although tangible progress has been made in recent years to hold perpetrators accountable and to prevent future violations, there remains an urgent need for more effective programs and policies to address the needs of children affected by armed conflict.
Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict strives to end violations against children in armed conflicts and to guarantee their rights. As a global network, the Watchlist builds partnerships among local, national, and international nongovernmental organizations, enhancing mutual capacities and strengths. Working together, we collect and disseminate information on violations against children in conflicts in order to influence key decision-makers to create and implement programs and policies that effectively protect children.
Watchlist’s work follows three main program areas:
History and Governance
Watchlist was formed in 2001 by a group of leading human rights and humanitarian organizations in response to the need for improved monitoring and reporting on violations against children in war. Watchlist is known for its work on children and human rights, boasting – through its members – both a solid expertise on child protection and a wealth of information and experiences coming directly from the ground.
Watchlist’s programmatic content is set by an Advisory Board composed of five international NGOs. Its network further includes eleven Associate Member organizations who share our commitment to protect the security and rights of children affected by armed conflict.
Watchlist membership includes, but is not limited to, the following organizations:
Watchlist Staff
Bethany Ellis is the Director of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict and is responsible for providing strategic and organizational leadership, and in coordination with the Advisory Board and fiscal sponsor, United Charitable, overseeing all advocacy, research, partnerships, fundraising, and communications for the network. Prior to taking over as Director in 2025, Bethany had been leading Watchlist’s advocacy efforts to defend and progress the UN’s Children and Armed Conflict agenda. Some of her key contributions since joining Watchlist in 2019 include co-organizing seven CAAC policy workshops, supporting three UN Security Council CAAC Working Group chairs throughout their tenures, leading our collective engagement around five Security Council open debates on CAAC, authoring Watchlist’s 2024 policy note on explosive weapons and CAAC, and coordinating Watchlist’s contributions and advocacy during the negotiation of Security Council resolutions 2601 (2021) and 2764 (2024). Before joining Watchlist, Bethany conducted research and policy analysis for various global human rights organizations on issues relating to human trafficking, education in emergencies, and the rights of refugee and migrant children. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree in international political economy from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She is based in New York.
Rob Grace is Watchlist’s Lead Researcher. Prior to joining Watchlist, he led or contributed to research projects on humanitarian access, humanitarian security risk management, civilian protection, and human rights fact-finding for the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies at Brown University, Center for Civilians in Conflict, U.S. Institute of Peace, and Global Interagency Security Forum. He currently holds faculty appointments at Tufts University and University of San Diego, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on armed conflict. Previously, he taught at Brown University, Boston University, and Brandeis University. He holds a PhD in political science from Brown University, where he wrote a dissertation, now a book project, analyzing humanitarian access obstruction. His research won the Best Dissertation of the Year Award from the Academic Council on the United Nations System in 2023.
Aleksandra Jelonek is Watchlist’s Grants and Operations Coordinator. Prior to joining Watchlist, she served as the Communications Officer for the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs. She previously worked in the Refugee Resettlement division of Catholic Charities Community Services New York and at Future Families, a nonprofit serving refugee and asylum seeker youth in Pretoria, South Africa. She holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Humanitarian Studies from Fordham University.
Laya Mosto is Watchlist’s Advocacy and Policy Officer. Prior to joining Watchlist, she served as a Development Partnerships Fellow at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where she collaborated on case studies and policy initiatives to enhance local governance and development partnerships in conflict-affected areas. Laya also worked at Jumpstart Refugee Talent, where she managed client relations and developed new intake processes to secure meaningful employment opportunities for newly settled refugees across Canada. Laya brings extensive experience in project and program management for international humanitarian and development organizations, with a focus on refugee reintegration, child protection, and socio-economic inclusion. She holds a Master of Public Administration in Development Practice from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Toronto, with a focus on International Law and Human Rights.
