COI-Report-Somalia

112 — EASO Country of Origin Information report — South and Central Somalia — Country overview
children (409 boys and 27 girls) were reported to the United Nations. Most violations were committed by Al‐Shabaab
(57 %), followed by the SNAF and allied militias such as ASWJ (31 %). The violations concerned recruitment, sexual
violence, arbitrary arrest and detention of children ( 1168 ).
On 3 July 2012, the United Nations and the Transitional (later Federal) Government signed an action plan to halt
and prevent the recruitment and use of children and, on 6 August 2012 they signed another action plan to end the
killing and maiming of children ( 1169 ).
4.4.2.1 Child soldiers under Al‐Shabaab
Most child soldiers are recruited and used by Al‐Shabaab ( 1170 ), as indicated in the previous section. Children are
recruited at schools, play grounds, from the streets and their own houses, and are sometimes as young as eight
years ( 1171 ). They are also recruited from IDP camps. Some engage voluntarily, lured by money, goods, food or
a wife ( 1172 ).
Abducted children spend some months at the Al‐Shabaab training camps where they are subjected to intense physical
training, training in the use of weapons, religious indoctrination, and undergo regular physical punishment. They are
often undernourished and have to witness the punishment and execution of other children. Boys are often used as
porters, as spies gathering intelligence, or suicide bombers, or to plant roadside bombs and other explosive devices.
They are also sent to the frontline as ‘human shield’ to protect adult fighters.
In addition to fighting, boys and girls also carry bullets, water and food into the battlefield, and take wounded and
dead bodies away. Girls are generally used as domestic workers and ‘wives’ or for sexual services for Al‐Shabaab
fighters ( 1173 ).
Residents in Al‐Shabaab‐controlled areas are increasingly expressing their outrage against the use of young children
by Al‐Shabaab as suicide bombers, thereby risking their lives ( 1174 ).
Child soldiers who escape the Shabaab army, for example after refusing to kill people or place bombs, may be
threatened to be killed and may have to flee to safer areas ( 1175 ).
4.4.2.2 Child soldiers amongst SNAF and AMISOM
Since 2012, a constitutional ban to recruit and use child soldiers has been in place ( 1176 ). According to the US State
Department (2013), ‘Reports of child soldiers in the national security forces, government‐allied militias, and
Al‐Shabaab continued. (…) There were isolated reports of children used in non‐combatant roles by AMISOM forces.
(…) To prevent recruitment and use of child soldiers the Somali National Army screened more than 1 000 new troops.
In view of the absence of established birth registration systems, it was often difficult to determine the exact age of
national security force recruits. (…) The screenings in Bihanga identified no recruits as children.’ ( 1177 )
( 1168 ) UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary‐General on Somalia (S/2014/140), 3 March 2014 (http://www.refworld.org/docid/531ef31f4.html) accessed
19 May 2014; UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary‐General on Somalia (S/2014/330), 12 May 2014 (http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.
aspsymbol=S/2014/330) accessed 1 June 2014.
( 1169 ) UN Security Council, Children and armed conflict - Report of the Secretary‐General (A/67/845–S/2013/245), 15 May 2013 (http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.
int/files/resources/Children%20and%20armed%20conflict.pdf) accessed 1 June 2014.
( 1170 ) Sabahionline, Al‐Shabaab militants increase child recruitment in Somalia, 16 January 2012 (http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/hoa/articles/
features/2012/01/16/feature-01) accessed 1 June 2014.
( 1171 ) US Department of State, Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2013 - Somalia, 27 February 2014 (http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/
humanrightsreport/index.htmyear=2013&dlid=220158) accessed 27 May 2014.
( 1172 ) Lifos, Säkerhetssituationen i södra och centrala Somalia, Rapport från utredningsresa till Nairobi, Kenya i oktober 2013. 20 January 2014 (http://lifos.
migrationsverket.se/dokumentdocumentAttachmentId=40524) accessed 22 June 2014, p. 7.
( 1173 ) US Department of State, Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2013 - Somalia, 27 February 2014 (http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/
humanrightsreport/index.htmyear=2013&dlid=220158) accessed 27 May 2014; HRW, No place for children, Child Recruitment, Forced Marriage, and Attacks
on Schools in Somalia, February 2012 (http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/somalia0212ForUpload_0.pdf) accessed 30 May 2014, p. 19-53.
( 1174 ) Sabahionline, Somalis decry al‐Shabaab’s use of child suicide bombers, 5 March 2014 (http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/hoa/articles/
features/2014/03/05/feature-02change_locale=true) accessed 1 June 2014.
( 1175 ) HRW, No place for children, Child Recruitment, Forced Marriage, and Attacks on Schools in Somalia, February 2012 (http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/
reports/somalia0212ForUpload_0.pdf) accessed 30 May 2014, p. 19-53.
( 1176 ) Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken (The Netherlands), Algemeen ambtsbericht Somalië, 19 December 2013 (http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/bestanden/
documenten‐en‐publicaties/ambtsberichten/2013/12/19/algemeen‐ambtsbericht‐somalie-2013-12-19/algemeen‐ambtsbericht‐somalie‐december-2013.
pdf) accessed 27 May 2014.
( 1177 ) US Department of State, Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2013 - Somalia, 27 February 2014 (http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/
humanrightsreport/index.htmyear=2013&dlid=220158) accessed 27 May 2014.