4     9. The Complainants also allege a violation of the rights enshrined in Articles 16 or 27 by the Government of Uganda. These allegations include that UPDF soldiers were involved in sexual exploitation, and in few occasions they either facilitated or did not take appropriate action in relation to the sexual abuse of children in the region that was affected by the armed conflict. 10. In sum, the Complainants allege a violation of five of the so-called “six grave breaches” which are the recruitment and use of children, sexual violence against children, the killing and maiming of children, the abduction of children, and attacks on schools and hospitals, in contravention of applicable international law, in particular the African Children’s Charter. The Complaint 11. The Complainants alleged that a number of rights of children in Northern Uganda that are guaranteed in the African Children’s Charter were violated as a result of the action or omission of the Government of Uganda. It should be noted that these rights include protection of children from being involved in armed conflict in Article 22; the right to education in Article 11; the right to life, survival and development in Article 5; and the right to enjoy the best attainable state of physical, mental and spiritual health in Article 14; and the right to be protected from sexual abuse and violence in Articles 16 and 27. Procedure 12. In 2005, the Secretariat of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Committee) received a Communication brought by Michelo Hunsungule and Others (the Complainants) on behalf of children in Northern Uganda, against the Government of Uganda. This same Communication was updated and submitted in 2010. 13. Notably some time has elapsed since this Communication was lodged in 2005. The reasons for this delay are mainly technical, prime of which is the fact that the Communication was lodged before the African Committee adopted its Guidelines for the Consideration of Communications, and as a result, few years lapsed before the African Committee was fully engaged with the matter. Once the Guidelines were adopted, there was a need to re-submit the Communication in a manner that complies with the Guidelines, which the Complainants have done so. 14. Subsequently, the consideration of the admissibility of the communication had been planned for the 15th session of the African Committee, but the Complainants requested on 23rd February 2010 that the Committee postpone the consideration of the admissibility to allow them with time to submit documentation in both English and French. During its 15th session the Committee agreed to postpone the consideration of the communication until its next session in order to allow the authors to submit the translated documents. A letter was sent to the Complainants on 30thJuly 2010 informing them that the Committee postponed the consideration of the admissibility of the Communication to its 16th session.

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