OTTAWA—Afghanistan has adopted new rules meant to better protect children from violence in the troubled country — including abuse by its own security forces.

Tariq Shah Bahrami, the country’s minister of defence, signed the Child Protection Policy into force in early December, a move one child advocate hailed as “highly significant.”

“This is a big step for Afghanistan to honour their international obligations in regards to children affected by armed conflict,” said Swen Dornig, a special adviser on children and armed conflict working with the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

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The policy has been a year in the making, prepared in consultation with the international community. But if the Afghans themselves had not taken the lead on it, “it would be nothing more than a document sitting on the shelves,” Dornig said in an email from Kabul.

In a statement, U.S. Gen. John Nicholson, commander of Resolute Support — the NATO advise-and-assist mission in Afghanistan — said international forces and the United Nations will provide training and assistance “to see that the child protection is fully embedded into Afghan military operations.”

The policy details procedures for monitoring, reporting and investigating violations by Afghan military personnel and “declares the intent to hold those who commit serious crimes accountable,” Dornig said.

“It lays out a clear process and measures to hold perpetrators accountable in accordance with Afghan law,” he said.

Dornig said the new Afghan policy aims mostly to prevent the “perpetration of violence against children during combat operations” involving military members of the Afghan National Army and activities controlled by the Ministry of Defence. The policy applies to all defence personnel, including civilians and contractors, as well as soldiers.

“We need to shield children as much as practically possible from the adverse effects of armed conflict,” he said.

“Clear guidance is provided to commanders in the field on how to better protect children from the conflict,” Dornig added.

For example, he said, the policy provides assistance to the military on how to deal with children found with insurgents, usually against their will. “Those children should be treated as victims, not perpetrators,” Dornig said.

But the policy is also meant to shield children from abuse at the hands of Afghan personnel, troubling incidents some Canadian troops say they witnessed firsthand during their deployments.

The Star reported in 2008 that some Canadian soldiers who had served in Afghanistan had sought counselling to cope with guilt at not stopping incidents of children abuse.

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According to Star reports at the time, some soldiers told military chaplains and medical personnel that they were instructed to disregard the sexual assaults because of a “cultural difference.”

Those stories prompted a lengthy internal inquiry by defence officials. That probe found that some soldiers witnessed or suspected sex acts between Afghan security forces and children. It concluded that there was enough evidence to “warrant action” on the possible sexual abuse of minors, yet no action was ever taken because of “numerous communication failures.”

Inquiry recommendations included making it mandatory for Canadian personnel to report any serious crimes or violations of human rights or the law of armed conflict to the chain of command. It said the definition of a serious crime that would prompt intervention by soldiers should be amended to read “sexual assault,” and include any sex act with a minor.

Dornig said Afghanistan is also making progress on this front, noting that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signed a revised penal code into law, which includes penalizing the sexual abuse and exploitation of boys.

A spokesperson for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan praised the new child protection policy and highlighted Canada’s ongoing moves on that front.

“Preventing the use of children as tools of war and ensuring their protection in situations of armed conflict is a priority for our government,” Byrne Furlong said in an email to the Star.

At a UN peacekeeping conference in November, countries adopted the “Vancouver principles” meant to reduce the recruitment, and use, of child soldiers, as well as enhance the reporting of abuses against children in conflict zones.

Furlong said Canada is amending the Armed Forces Code of Conduct to expand the requirement for military personnel to report any violation of the law of armed conflict. Canadian troops will be required to report sexual assaults involving children and potentially other vulnerable groups, she said.

NATO is also putting renewed emphasis on the need for its own troops to watch for abuses and misconduct. A new database is being created to help international forces report concerns and allegations around human rights cases they observe during their training mission.

In his own statement, Nicholson said he was making it “very clear” that if soldiers under his command witness violations of human rights, “they have a duty to report immediately.”

One source familiar with the policy said that sends a clear signal to troops on the ground. “If it wasn’t clear in the ranks of NATO forces before that they are to not sit idly by if they see or hear anything untoward, then it is crystal clear now,” the source said.

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