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Mr. Adebayo Kareem, the AMISOM Acting Chief of Staff, said the
workshop was a sign of AMISOMs commitment in combating the
problem of child soldiers in Somalia.
The diversity of the people at high level in this meeting was
deliberate so that they can go back and educate the others, added
Mr. Kareem.
AMISOMs Child Protection Advisor, Musa Gbow, called for a multiapproach involving various players to effectively tackle the problem.
Mr. Gbow noted that AMISOM forces would not work with any group
that uses children as soldiers, adding that exploitation of minors is a
violation of human rights.
He cited Somalias vast and rugged terrain as one of the challenges
AMISOM had encountered in trying to liberate children in armed
groups.
The African Union Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
prohibits the recruitment of children as soldiers. In addition,
according to the United Nations Childrens Fund (Unicef), there could
be as high as 5,000 child soldiers in Somalia as Al-Shabaab
continues its recruiting campaigns.