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- Mo Farah: Run away success, a man with odds stacked against him
- Urban warfare: Civilian casualties worries international community
- Somali group warns more troops will be annihilated
- Militant Alliance Adds to Somalia’s Turmoil
- European Commission allocates €35 million for victims of conflict and natural disasters in Somalia
- Somaliland: A democratic beacon of hope in a dangerous part of the world
- Somaliland: Silanyo sworn in as president
- AU to send 4,000 troops to Somalia, US against peacekeepers attacking Al-Shabaab
- Fighting in Mogadishu, at least 32 dead officials say
- Seychelles convicts 11 Somali pirates to 10 years
- Thirteen insurgents killed in Somalia's Puntland
- AU to send an extra 2000 troops to Somalia
- Puntland forces attack al-Shabab in Somali mountains
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| Somalia 'to ratify UN child pact' |
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| News - Human Rights |
| Saturday, 21 November 2009 17:11 |
Somali children lead perilous lives amid brutal civil conflict
Somalia has vowed to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - a move that would leave the US as the only nation not to back the accord. The UN, which is celebrating 20 years since the agreement was put into force, welcomed Somalia's announcement. But analysts say the Somali government has little authority and its rulings are largely unenforceable. The US helped draft the agreement, but conservative politicians have argued its measures impinge on sovereignty. 'Remarkable' impact The BBC's East Africa correspondent Peter Greste says it is hard to think of a place where children are more at risk than Somalia. The country is in its 18th year of a crippling civil conflict in which youngsters are routinely forced to fight, and child mortality is among the highest in the world. So our correspondent says the decision to ratify the agreement will be seen as an important symbolic step. Unicef, the UN's children's agency, welcomed the announcement and reminded the Somali government that ratifying the convention was a commitment to protect children's rights. Ceremonies are taking place around the world to mark the 20th anniversary of the agreement. The UN says the convention has has had a "remarkable" impact on children's lives, but warns that one billion youngsters still go without food, shelter or healthcare. The convention guarantees children the right to life, education, and the right to play and to be protected from abuse. It has the widest international support of any human rights treaty - ratified by 193 countries. The US and Somalia have both signed the agreement - but neither country has ratified it. Somalia's transitional government, which is backed by the UN and African Union, is engaged in a fierce power struggle with several Islamist militant groups. In effect, the government controls only parts of the capital, Mogadishu. The rest of the country is controlled by Islamist militants and warlords. Source: BBC News  Share this article with others:      The comment section is restricted to members only. |
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