Baidoa(Mogadishu24)-Thirty Ethiopian soldiers under the African Union Transition in Somalia(ATMIS) on Sunday completed a two days training on safeguarding children’s rights and welfare in conflict situations in Baidoa, the administrative capital of Southwest State in Somalia.

“This training is critical in conflict areas and Somalia is not an exception. We all know that in situations of armed conflict, children suffer the most. Therefore, it is important for us to implement measures and put in place structures to safeguard children during times of conflict”, said ATMIS Senior Protection and Human Rights Officer.

He emphasized the importance of prioritising child protection issues during ATMIS military operations and the phased handover of security responsibilities to the Somali Security Forces.

“Training our troops in child protection will enhance our ability to monitor and report incidents. With the information gathered, we can develop effective child protection programmes”, he said.

Participants covered various topics, including mainstreaming child protection, children’s rights, legal standards, regional and global frameworks and Somalia’s national framework for the protection of children according to a statement released by ATMIS.