Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Para 54. Strongly condemns all violations and abuses committed against children in armed conflict in Somalia, including the increase in the number of cases of recruitment of children, attacks on schools, and of sexual violence perpetrated against children, demands that the parties to the conflict cease immediately all violations and abuses against children and calls on the FGS to hold perpetrators accountable and to implement fully the Convention of the Rights of the Child 1989, including by ratification of or accession to its Optional Protocols, and the Action Plans signed in 2012, the recently adopted Somali National Army Command Order on the Protection of Children’s Rights before, during and after operations, and the Standard Operation Procedures on the handover of children, and underscores the need to strengthen the legal and operational framework for the protection of children and to strengthen existing vetting mechanisms;

Para 34. Underlines the continued importance of swift implementation of the National Security Architecture, delineating roles and responsibilities of Somalia ’s security institutions, agreeing on governance and oversight structures and identifying capability gaps in order to guide AMISOM and donors’ security sector assistance priorities and signalling areas of cooperation with the international community in order to develop Somali-led security institutions and forces, both military and civilian, that are capable, affordable, acceptable, and accountable, and emphasises the vital importance of the rule of law and of security forces acting at all times in full compliance with applicable obligations under international humanitarian law a nd human rights law including with respect to the protection of civilians, ending and preventing recruitment, re-recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, and addressing conflict-related sexual violence;

Para 21. Welcomes AMISOM’s zero tolerance stance on sexual exploitation and abuse, calls on the AU and troop-contributing countries to take appropriate steps to prevent and investigate allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, including screening personnel and undertaking risk assessments and training, and to hold perpetrators accountable and repatriate units where there is credible evidence of widespread or systemic sexual exploitation or abuse by those units, and further encourages the AU to cooperate with the UN on all aspects related to addressing sexual exploitation and abuse;

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Welcoming the AU’s investigation of allegations of sexual violence against some AMISOM troops, underlining the importance of the AU implementing the recommendations of its findings, taking action to prevent further abuses, and in line with resolution 2272 (2016),

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Para 49. Expresses concern at continued violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law in Somalia, underscores the need to end impunity, uphold human rights and to hold accountable those responsible for such violations and abuses, welcomes the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission, and encourages the FGS to approve the appointment of the Commissioners, and implement fully the Action Plan of its Human Rights Roadmap, including by implementing legislation aimed at protecting human rights and investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of crimes involving violations or abuses of human rights, violations of international humanitarian law, and conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence;

Para 44. Calls on the FGS, the FMSs, AMISOM and UNSOM to work to ensure that women and girls are protected from sexual and gender-based violence, including sexual exploitation and abuse, which can significantly exacerbate and prolong situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security, and that survivors are supported and perpetrators held accountable, and urges the FGS, with the support of the United Nations, to accelerate the implementation of the Joint Communiqué and the National Action Plan to combat sexual violence in conflict, and further calls on the Somali security forces to take appropriate steps to prevent and investigate allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse involving their personnel;