Ecuador: Students compete in humanitarian law simulation

Ten teams from seven universities in the cities of Guayaquil, Ibarra and Quito took part in the Manuel Muñoz Borrero National Competition on International Humanitarian Law. The aim is to raise awareness of international humanitarian law among university students, and the winning team gets to try its luck at competing in the international Jean Pictet competition. The event was organized by the Ecuadorian Red Cross, the Committee of former Ecuadorian Jean Pictet competition participants, and the ICRC.

The 30 students had to play a series of roles based on the various groups and individuals involved in armed conflicts. They had to defend their interests in a range of scenarios, including cabinet meetings, the United Nations Security Council, military decisions on what constitutes a target, visits to high-level military sites and interviews with victims of sexual violence, children formerly associated with armed forces or groups, and migrants.