A/HRC/31/19 the release of hundreds of children, new laws criminalizing underage recruitment, the development of age-assessment mechanisms and national awareness-raising campaigns. 29. In 2015, there was a significant reduction in verified cases of recruitment and use of children by national security forces, especially in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar. In Afghanistan, a decree to criminalize underage recruitment by the Afghan national security forces came into force in February and pilot child protection units in Afghan National Police recruitment centres in four provinces reportedly prevented the recruitment of hundreds of children. Child protection units could have a significant impact if rolled out in police recruitment centres throughout the country. 30. The commitment of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by its national security forces remained steady. Following a workshop of the joint technical working group, which includes representatives of the Government and the United Nations, a road map identifying eight priority areas was endorsed by the Ministry of Defence on 5 September to expedite the full implementation of the action plan to end the recruitment and use of children. As noted in section VI of the present report, progress is also being achieved in the fight against impunity, as high-ranking military personnel were prosecuted and sentenced for committing grave violations against children. 31. Following advocacy efforts by the United Nations, including during the Special Representative’s visit in July 2015, Myanmar signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. With support from the United Nations, hundreds of children have been released from the armed forces of Myanmar since the campaign was launched and there has been increased access to military bases to carry out monitoring activities. However, cases of underage recruitment continue to be documented, and sometimes children have been sent to the front lines. 32. In 2015, South Sudan and Yemen, two countries that had committed to action plans with the United Nations to end the recruitment and use of children, illustrated that heightened conflict can result in setbacks and reversals on commitments made to end violations. The two cases also demonstrated the importance of putting in place mechanisms strong enough to withhold a new crisis, as in both South Sudan and Yemen the recruitment and use of children by nearly all parties to the conflict became endemic. At the time of writing, in December 2015, the situations continued to deteriorate. 33. The Federal Government of Somalia too had committed to implementing an action plan, but ongoing instability hampered progress during the reporting period. In the Sudan, encouraging progress was achieved towards the finalization of an action plan between the United Nations and the Government. 34. During the final year of the campaign in 2016 the Special Representative will continue to reach out to the Member States concerned, regional organizations, the international community and relevant partners to consolidate gains and ensure that technical and financial resources are available to enable the full implementation of action plans. 35. Community-based reintegration services that provide psychosocial assistance to formerly recruited children have been designed to help children reclaim their lives through educational and vocational opportunities, taking into account the particular needs of girls. Member States must ensure that resources for separation and reintegration are sufficient and that there is a focus on sustainability, including by ensuring that children are reintegrated into safe and secure environments to prevent rerecruitment. 36. The Special Representative will continue to advocate for the criminalization of child recruitment and the prosecution of perpetrators of all grave violations against children. 10