In a press statement issued on Tuesday, 2 August 2011, United Nations Special Representative for the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, stated that she welcomed the decision by the UN Security Council made earlier that week, which allowed for sanctions against Somalia earlier that week.
“Starting today, in Somalia, if you kill, maim, recruit, use or sexually violate children, or if you attack their schools and hospitals, you can be sanctioned. This is one step closer to ending impunity of the worst violators of children in war.”
On 29 July the Security Council passed resolution S/RES/2002 (2011), which will enable sanctions to be placed on individuals and entities that violate the rights of children in Somalia. Council members approved the tougher measures as part of a resolution, which both extends and expands the mandate of the eight-member UN Monitoring Group on Eritrea and Somalia.The sanctions that can apply to individuals or entities who violate the rights of children include arms embargoes, travel bans and asset freezes. Security Council members approved the tougher measures on Friday as part of a resolution extending and expanding the mandate of the eight-member UN Monitoring Group on Eritrea and Somalia. The resolution’s inclusion of sanctions due to grave violations against children follows the Security Council’s decision to apply sanctions to violators of child rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), S/RES/1698 (2006). This development represents a significant step forward in the Security Council’s efforts to enhance accountability for child rights violations.
SRSG Coomaraswamy urged all partners working in child protection, including the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), “to redouble their efforts to gather reliable information on grave violations against children” so that they can help the Monitoring Group, act successfully.
“This is one step closer to ending impunity of the worst violators of children in war,” SRSG Coomaraswamy added.
As noted in the recent post, Somalia’s Child Refugees Bear the Burden, the plight of Somali children has been ringing alarm bells at the United Nations and across the globe as families continue to flee the country’s ongoing 20 year armed conflict and continuing drought. Therefore, the action by the UN to approve sanctions against Somalia is a much needed step in winning the battle for the safety and security of the country’s children. However, this is only a small step that must be followed not only by the action to intact such sanctions against violators, but also for the international community and governing bodies to seek sustainable aid and rehabilitation to a country that has been embattled in conflict for two decades, during most of which they were left in the shadows to suffer in silence.
Please see the previous posts: When will eyes of hope cast a glance at Somalia? (11th, 2010), Will we remember Somalia? (July 14th, 2009); and Have We Forgotten Somalia? (November 2, 2008), for more on the continuous plight of the country’s children.
