A/HRC/32/12
34.
The Office of the General Prosecutor had been active in investigating sexual crimes
and in ensuring that an example was set whereby no crime, especially of sexual violence,
would go unpunished. So far, the General Prosecutor’s Office had been successful in
bringing 69 such cases before a judge in 2015.
35.
Regarding corruption, the Attorney General indicated that his office regularly
referred cases to the Office of the General Prosecutor to investigate and to bring them
before a judge. However, in order to combat corruption more effectively, a national
independent anti-corruption commission and a judiciary high commission needed to be
established. Moreover, it was very important to thoroughly build the capacity of the
institutions meant to fight corruption, such as the Office of the General Prosecutor, the
Auditor General, the Criminal Investigation Department and the courts.
36.
The Government had taken important steps to ensure that its military forces and the
forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) complied with international
humanitarian law and human rights norms. However, while aware that these troops were
committed to adhering to these fundamental principles, incidents deeply concerning to the
Government and the people had taken place.
37.
The airstrikes of the Kenyan Defence Forces were the latest such incident, some of
which had targeted civilian areas and caused heavy casualties. The Government was
committed to conducting impartial investigations into this incident and was requesting
parliamentary oversight, asking the defence committee of Parliament to also look into the
matter.
38.
As a result, the Government had increased its engagement and monitoring in regard
to the work of AMISOM to ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law and
human rights norms. A total of 10,700 Somali National Army soldiers had been trained in
United Nations human rights due diligence.
39.
The Ministry of Women, Human Rights and Social Development had engaged in
dialogue with AMISOM on special measures for the protection of Somali women and girls
from sexual exploitation and abuse. The Government and AMISOM had set up a joint task
force to work together in cases of alleged human rights violations to come up with
appropriate and timely responses to such incidents.
40.
Regarding violations of children’s rights, the Attorney General highlighted the
commitment of Somalia to protecting children by signing the standard operating procedures
on reception and handover of children from armed groups. The Government also worked
with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to implement the “Children, Not
Soldiers” global campaign and the two action plans signed in 2012: one on ending the
recruitment and use of children and the other on ending the killing and maiming of
children.
41.
Concluding the presentation by Somalia, the Minister emphasized that the
Government had put into place a number of participatory schemes to jump-start a national
dialogue. She thanked fellow Member States, OHCHR and other United Nations agencies
for assisting Somalia in its efforts to follow the highest standards of respect for human
rights. She stressed that Somalia was pleased to take advantage of sincerely offered advice,
as proved by its acceptance of all the recommendations during the previous cycle.
B.
Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review
42.
During the interactive dialogue, 85 delegations made statements. Recommendations
made during the dialogue are to be found in section II of the present report.
7
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