STORY: UN envoy on children and armed conflict

commends AMISOM on child protection efforts

SOURCE: 3:56
AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
RESTRICTIONS: This media asset is free for editorial
broadcast, print, online and radio use. It is not to be sold on
and is restricted for other purposes. All enquiries to
thenewsroom@auunist.org
CREDIT REQUIRED: AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 29/OCTOBER/2019, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the

African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia, Simon Mulongo
meets the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for
Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba at his office, at AMISOM
Mission Headquarters
2. Close up shot, DSRCC, Simon Mulongo listening during the meeting
3. Wide shot, DSRCC, Simon Mulongo talking during the meeting
4. Med shot, AMISOM Police officers listening during the meeting
5. Close up shot, The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-
General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba holding her
hands
6. Med shot, Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the
African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia, Simon Mulongo
shaking hands with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-
General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba at his office,
at AMISOM Mission Headquarters
7. Wide shot, DSRCC, Simon Mulongo greeting participants before the
meeting starts
8. Wide shot, DSRCC, Simon Mulongo talking during the meeting
9. Med shot, Ulrike Kahbila Mbuton, Human Rights and Child Protection
Officer, AMISOM listening during the meeting
10. Wide shot, officials from AMISOM and UN at the meeting
11. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) SIMON MULONGO, DEPUTY SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN
UNION COMMISSION (DSRCC) FOR SOMALIA
“Before they come to the mission, we do pre-mission training, and
when they are here, we do some in-mission training to remind them of
their obligations and ensure that they work in clear respect of them. We
also have monitoring of compliance by our own troops; if there are any
violations we follow them up and we hold them accountable,
accordingly. We do also help the Somali forces in mentoring, advising
and supporting them in the same line.”
 12. Wide shot, DSRCC, Simon Mulongo inviting the Special
Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed
Conflict, Virginia Gamba to make remarks
13. Med shot, DSRCC, Simon Mulongo, flanked by the Special
Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed
Conflict, Virginia Gamba listening during the meeting
14. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) VIRGINIA GAMBA, THE SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR
CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT
“These groups will recruit children in one country, use them in another,
and release them in another or they might escape in another country.
So we are not talking any more of a territorial armed conflict. We are
talking of something that transcends borders and therefore, Resolution
2427 of 2018 has indicated that we should not only try to protect
children from existing violations; we should try to prevent violations
against children in places of armed conflict, not just nationally but
regionally. So for the first time, the issue of prevention at a regional
level is now on the table. It is up to us to start populating what a
regional prevention plan might look like”.

15. Med shot, participants listening during the meeting

16. Wide shot, participants listening during the meeting
17. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) VIRGINIA GAMBA, THE SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR
CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT
“I signed a roadmap with the Federal Ministry of Defence that speeds the
delisting of Somalia from both recruitment and use as well as killing and
maiming”.

18. Wide shot, participants taking part in the meeting

19. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) ULRIKE KAHBILA MBUTON, HUMAN
RIGHTS AND CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER, AMISOM
“Looking at the activities that we have conducted beyond the mission,
more in support of the Federal Government, the mission does a lot of
capacity building, trainings both basic and ‘Training of Trainer’ courses,
and we have been able to establish a pool of Somali trainers whom we
now use to also train other Somalis. We also look at schools that have
been damaged and try to refurbish some of these schools. The
government has been running some campaigns with the slogan ‘give a
child a pen, and not a gun.’ So we follow on that to also advocate for
children’s rights to education. We also distribute books in some of the
schools that we have been able to identify. We have vocational training
activities for disengaged fighters in order to support their reintegration
to society.”

20. Med shot, participants posing for a group photo

21. Wide shot, participants interacting after the meeting

UN envoy on children and armed conflict commends AMISOM on child protection

efforts
Mogadishu, October 31, 2019 – The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative
for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, has commended AMISOM for
ensuring the protection of children in conflict.

On Wednesday, Ms. Gamba concluded a three-day working visit to Somalia to assess

efforts to protect children from conflict-related violations.

As part of the visit, she held discussions with child protection focal persons in the
AMISOM military, police, and civilian components, including the Deputy Head of
AMISOM, Simon Mulongo.

During the meeting, Mulongo, who is the Deputy Special Representative of the
Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia (DSRCC), briefed her on
AMISOM's programmes and activities.

"We train our troops on child protection at pre-deployment, induction and in-
mission levels, to remind them of their obligations. We monitor compliance, and
troops in violation are held accountable. We also mentor, advise and support the
Somali security forces," the Deputy SRCC said.

Ms. Gamba noted that some of AMISOM's child protection approaches could be
adopted as best practices for the protection of other children in conflict situations.

"If you don't mind, we would like to explore your expertise and see how it could
work for some of our other operations," said Ms. Gamba.

An AMISOM Human Rights expert, Ms. Ulrike Kahbila Mbuton, briefed the UN top
official on AMISOM's efforts to uphold the rights and welfare of children in the
mission's area of operations.

"AMISOM has been carrying out child protection activities both within the mission,
and other activities in support of the Federal Government of Somalia and the
member states. AMISOM holds vocational training programmes for disengaged child
fighters to support their reintegration into society, she Kahbila.

She also revealed that AMISOM has instituted standard operating procedures on
handling child detainees and internally displaced people's camps and established a
toll-free line to report incidents of violence against children. ENDS