|
|
|
Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 6.42 GMT |
|
LTTE recruits over 6000 children |
|
|
|
The total number of children recruited by
the LTTE since January 2002 to September
2007 was well over six thousand, Child
Soldiers Global Report 2008 issued by
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
said.
Children in the east were forcibly recruited
and used by the Karuna group too.
The Report said that there is overwhelming
evidence of recruitment, often forced,
throughout areas in north and east although
the LTTE consistently denied that it
knowingly recruited children and it claimed
that children sought to join by disguising
their age.
"The recruitment of children typically
followed a pattern of increased recruitment
during the season of temple festivals and a
fall during periods of international
condemnation," the Report said.
The LTTE, which had recruited under-age
fighters for many years, pledged on 18 June
2007 to rid its ranks of all under-18s by
the end of 2007. However, the Special
Representative of the UN Secretary-General
for Children and Armed Conflict reported
that that the LTTE had assured her special
advisor that they would accelerate the
release of all children under the age of 17,
but had not committed to the full release of
children under 18.
The Report details a new village-based
military training by LTTE, in which all
civilians in uncleared ares aged between 15
and 50 were compelled to participate. In
addition, there were reports of a new type
of six-month residential military training
being run by the LTTE, after which people
were allowed to continue their civilian
lives, but had to remain available for
military duties.
The LTTE was listed as a party recruiting
and using children in hostilities in the
Annex to the Secretary-General’s annual
report on children in armed conflict between
2003 and 2007. The Karuna group was listed
for child recruitment and use in 2006 and
2007.
|
|
|
|
Contact Information: Send
mail to