Photo: UNICEF

Progress

• Steps taken by the Government in implementing the action plan.

Challenges

• Staggering numbers of grave violations by all parties to conflict, in particular the recruitment and use, killing and maiming, and abduction of children;
• Rising levels of sexual violence against children;
• Increase in violations attributed to Somali Police Force and Federal Member States forces.

Recommendations

For the Federal Government:

• To expedite the implementation of the 2012 action plans on ending and preventing the recruitment and use and the killing and maiming of children and of the 2019 road map, including at the Federal Member States level;
• To provide more information on the integration of Ahl al Sunna Wal Jama’a into the Federal Defence and Police Forces to enable the United Nations to conduct a screening;
• To treat children formerly associated with armed groups according to the Paris Principles, endorsed by Somalia, and to apply the standard operating procedures for the reception and handover of children separated from armed groups to child protection actors, endorsed in 2014.

For all parties:

• To immediately cease all violations and abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.