UNAMID’s Child Protection Unit (CPU), in collaboration with the Communications and Public Information Section (CPIS), and Conduct and Discipline Unit (CDU), re-launched a Darfur-wide campaign entitled “Protect Children/Support Efforts of UNAMID – No sexual relations with minors.”

The campaign, which is part of global United Nations’ efforts to protect children, is aimed at raising awareness among the Mission’s peacekeepers--military, police and civilian personnel—regarding child sexual abuse and exploitation and establish a zero tolerance policy as stated by the UN Secretary-General, in a bulletin which stipulates that, “Sexual activity with children (persons under the age of 18) is prohibited regardless of the age of majority or age of consent locally. Mistaken belief in the age of a child is not a defense.”

Boubacar Dieng, Head, UNAMID CPU, says that the campaign comes in line with the United Nations efforts to protect children across the world and focuses on preventing any instance of sexual abuse by peacekeepers against children. He explained that the campaign, which complements various ongoing efforts to promote exemplary behavior of UNAMID staff, will stretch through 2017 and beyond.

In support of the campaign, UNAMID has printed 60,000 pocket cards carrying the UN Secretary General’s message to be distributed to staff members. Each card is designed to serve as a reference and permanent reminder for individual staff members to continue to observe the highest standard of conduct expected of them by the United Nations Charter and to refrain from child abuse. The cards incorporate 12 languages spoken in UNAMID (English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Swahili, Urdu, Kinyarwanda, Indonesian, Bengali, and Amharic). Additionally, posters and banners conveying the core message contained within the campaign, are being displayed in key locations within the Mission’s offices.

Furthermore, CPU and CDU teams are running regular capacity-building and training programmes for peacekeepers to raise their awareness on appropriate behaviour towards children. The child protection training programmes also contain significant modules emphasizing on the need for staff members to refrain from child abuse, while taking into consideration assistance required to children in Mission daily activities, as appropriate.  “CPU has taken steps to make sure that this message reaches out to every single staff member across the Mission through distribution of pocket cards to fill the communication gap throughout the year and during rotation of troops,” says Mr. Dieng.

Another important step taken by CPU is the advocacy programme at the community level to promote local ownership of the protection of children in anticipation of UNAMID exit from Darfur, by focusing on capacity-building for the local population and raising their awareness on child abuse.

The Mission is also running a campaign against using children for labour by staff members and encouraging staff members to not use services provided by children for tasks such as washing cars and so forth. This is in line with the global United Nations directive issued in 2011 prohibiting use of child labour by UN staff and prohibition of the presence of child workers in Mission premises.

UNAMID CPU recently also launched a Darfur-wide campaign, under the theme, “No Child Soldiers – Protect Darfur”, which aimed at raising awareness on the need to: 1) end the recruitment and use of child soldiers by parties to the conflict (armed groups and armed forces) across the region; 2) end and prevent use of children as fighters by communities in inter and intra ethnic clashes. In this context, the Mission has engaged in a dialogue with parties to the conflict, resulting in the establishment of six Action Plans and issuance of nine Command Orders to end violations against children, including no recruitment and use of child soldiers and abduction, killing and sexual abuse of children. “We also communicate with the parties to the conflict to emphasize their responsibility to protect children as long as the conflict in Darfur continues, as well as the need to resolve their differences soonest and find ways to attain justice and sustainable peace, as the best protection they can grant to children” explained Mr. Dieng.