MOGADISHU, March 24 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said Sunday its 30 military officers have wrapped up a two-day intensive training on safeguarding children's rights and welfare in conflict situations.
ATMIS Senior Protection and Human Rights Officer Gloria Jaase said the training is critical in conflict areas and Somalia is not an exception. "We all know that in situations of armed conflict, children suffer the most. Therefore, it is important for us to implement measures and put in place structures to safeguard children during times of conflict," Jaase said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
She emphasized the importance of prioritizing child protection issues during ATMIS military operations and the phased handover of security responsibilities to the Somali Security Forces.
The training covered various topics, including mainstreaming child protection, children's rights, legal standards, regional and global frameworks and Somalia's national framework for the protection of children.
The training, which was organized by the ATMIS Protection, Human Rights and Gender cluster in collaboration with the African Union Compliance and Accountability Framework (AUCF), was attended by Ethiopia National Defense Forces (ENDF) personnel stationed in Baidoa, the administrative capital of Southwest State.
Ferdinand Nintunze, the senior Case Management, Processes, and Database officer for ATMIS at the AUCF, reiterated the Mission's commitment to safeguarding vulnerable populations, particularly children. Moreover, Aman Wako, ATMIS chief of the Joint Operations Center in Baidoa, described the training as informative and interactive, expressing gratitude to ATMIS for organizing such valuable training sessions. ■