Somalia Aims to Improve Lives of Children

Somalia's president signed into law the Convention on the Rights of the Child on January 20. Somalia’s children continue to face daily challenges posed by conflict, displacement, malnutrition and disease. One in seven die before reaching the age of five and fewer than half of the children attend school.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud officially ratified the convention on the rights of children at a ceremony held in a Mogadishu school.

“We want our children to be leaders who can take on national and international responsibilities. Some of the children in front of me today will be among the leaders that take responsibility for the Somali nation and the world as well,” said the president.

Somalia is the 195th state party to sign the document. The convention articulates a set of universal rights to protect children. Among them is right to life, survival and development.

Decades of conflict in the East African nation have raised its child and maternal mortality rates to among the worst in the world. But with the recent signing, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has expressed hope that in the near future Somalia's government will be in a position to protect its own children.

"UNICEF looks forward to working with the government to implement this Convention and work towards achieving key results on the protection of children's rights within the next two years. The next two years are actually key because as a government they will be submitting the first progress report of the implementation of this Convention,” said UNICEF Somalia country representative, Stephen Lauwerier.

According to U.N. figures, one in seven Somali children die before reaching the age of five, mostly from preventable illnesses, and only four in 10 children are in school.

Human rights activists in Mogadishu welcomed the signing as a positive step. Amina Arale of the Somali Women Development Center (SWDC) said the Somali government would now be held accountable for any violation against children.

“It’s the responsibility of the government to ensure the rights of children are protected. By signing the agreement, the government can be held accountable on any crime committed on children at the courts. The Somali children now have a golden opportunity and will have their rights protected,” she said.

Although implementing the accord will take time, the government said it would now work on drafting and adopting child-friendly policies and systems, implement measures to boost child survival, development, participation and protection, and provide regular reports on its progress to the U.N.'s Committee on the Rights of the Child.

2015年1月20日，索马里总统签署了“儿童权利公约”，使之成为法律。索马里儿童每天面临冲突，颠沛流离，营养不良以及疾病带来的挑战，七个儿童中就有一人在五岁前死亡，上学的儿童不到一半。

索马里总统哈桑·谢赫·马哈茂德在摩加迪沙一所学校举行的仪式上，正式批准了这项儿童权利公约，

马哈茂德总统说：“我们希望我们的儿童成为能够肩负国家和国际责任的领导者。我面前一些儿童将成为能够为索马里以及世界担当这种责任的领导者。”

索马里成为签署这项公约的第195个国家。公约明确规定了保护儿童的一系列普世权利，其中包括生命权、生存权和发展权。

连续数十年的冲突，使索马里成为世界上妇幼死亡率最高的国家之一。公约签署后，联合国儿童基金表示希望，索马里政府将能够保护好本国的儿童。

联合国儿童基金驻索马里代表史蒂芬·劳沃里尔说：“联合国儿童基金会期待同索马里政府合作，落实这项公约，并且致力于未来两年内在保护儿童权利方面取得关键成果。今后两年实际上非常关键，因为作为一个政府，他们两年后将提交第一份履行公约的进展报告。”

联合国有关数字显示，七个索马里儿童当中就有一人五岁前夭折，大都死于可预防性疾病，每十个儿童中，只有四个能够上学。

摩加迪沙的人权活动人士对签署这项公约的积极步骤表示欢迎。索马里妇女发展中心的阿米娜·阿拉尔说， 索马里政府现在将要对任何针对儿童的犯罪行为负责。

她说：“政府有责任确保儿童的权利得到保护。签署这项协议，就能够在法庭上追究政府涉及到儿童的任何犯罪行为。索马里儿童现在获得了一个宝贵的时机，他们的权利将得到保护。”

落实这项公约需要时间，不过索马里政府表示，将努力起草和落实有利于儿童的政策和制度，落实促进儿童生存，参与和保护的有关措施，并且向联合国儿童权利委员会提交进展报告。