Somali government officials improve proficiency in human rights and civilian safeguarding
Sunday September 10, 2023
The African Union (AU) Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has recently completed a comprehensive five-day training program aimed at enhancing the skills of Somali public officers in the areas of human rights and civilian protection.
The training took place in the city of Kismayo, located in southern Somalia, and was attended by 21 officers from various ministries and civil society organizations in Jubaland State. The participants were provided with valuable knowledge and tools to effectively protect and promote human rights within their respective regions.
Gloria Jaase, the civilian sector coordinator and protection officer at ATMIS, expressed her hopes that the knowledge acquired by the participants would be shared and disseminated among different sectors of society, thus creating a large number of trainers. She emphasized that one of the main goals of the AU mission is to promote and safeguard human rights, not only within their own operations but also throughout the operations of their counterparts.
These trained officers will now form a team that will be deployed to various parts of Jubaland to train local communities and interest groups on the importance of human rights and civilian protection.
The training program organized by ATMIS focused on strengthening the participants’ understanding of key principles of international human rights law, such as human rights frameworks, children’s rights, women’s rights, and the protection of internally displaced people.
Since its involvement in Somalia, ATMIS has consistently demonstrated its commitment to promoting and protecting human rights in the country. This commitment is complemented by capacity-building initiatives targeting Somali Security Forces and the local community, all in alignment with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2628 (2022).
Ayan Mohamed Hassan, a member of Jubaland civil society, expressed her gratitude for the training program, stating that it has greatly enhanced her knowledge and capacity to monitor and document human rights violations within her community. She believes that understanding individual rights will help in respecting the fundamental rights of others.
