UN envoy calls for end to child soldiers' recruitment in Somalia

NAIROBI (Xinhua) - The UN envoy for children and armed conflict has called on Somalia to end and prevent the recruitment and use of child soldiers, as well as the killing and maiming of children.

Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary- General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict, also urged the government to fully implement the two Action Plans it signed in 2012 to end the use of children by government forces.

"Somalia faces many challenges but making its army child free is possible and I am encouraged that the Somali Federal Government has committed to it," Zerrougui said in a statement issued in Nairobi on Saturday after concluding a four-day visit to Somalia.

Zerrougui who also visited Nairobi for two days said all the necessary measures enclosed in the action plans should be put in place and implemented.

"Crucial to that process is the need to have the legal framework in which progress will happen," she said.

The Action Plan outlines steps to be taken by the Somalia authorities to ensure a child-free national army.

According to the UN, full compliance with the Action Plan will result in the Government of Somalia being removed from the UN Secretary-General's list of parties who recruit and use children.

Under the pact, the Horn of Africa nation commits to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in the armed forces.

The UN will support the reintegration of all children released from the forces, and the government will criminalize the recruitment and use of children through national legislation.

Zerrougui noted the Somali government has committed to expedite the ratification of the Convention for the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its additional protocols in this symbolic year of the 25th anniversary of the CRC.

The country is one of the seven countries involved in the Campaign "Children Not Soldiers", launched by the SRSG and UNICEF in March 2014 to end the recruitment and use of children by government forces by 2016.

Zerrougui has said a significant number of children affected by armed conflict live on the African continent.

The UN envoy, who visited UNICEF-supported reintegration center, saw how ground work done by the UN and its partners can help children reclaim their lives after months or years in armed forces and armed groups.

"Meaningful reintegration must be a priority and appropriate resources must be invested in these programs that are essential to build a stronger, more peaceful Somalia, governed by the rule of law," Zerrougui said.

"And it is important for the UN and all partners to be creative where it is needed to overcome the specific challenges found in the Somalia context."

Zerrougui called upon the Somali government to ensure accountability for the perpetrators of grave violations committed against children.

She also reiterated the UN's commitment to continue its support to Somalia and to the children of Somalia.