LTTE child soldiers: UN warns of tough steps
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council’s Working Group on
Children and Armed Conflict has again warned the LTTE of grave
consequences if it does not put an end to the recruitment of child
soldiers.
While strongly condemning the continuous recruitment and use of child
soldiers and all other violations and abuses committed against children
by LTTE, the UN Security Council has warned that “further steps may be
taken” if the LTTE “does not respond positively to the (UN) message in
the coming months”.
Referring to the report of the Secretary General, dated December 20,
2006, which records “a continuous, ongoing and even increasing pattern
of abduction, recruitment and use of children by LTTE, despite previous
commitments made under the action plan for children affected by war in
March 2003”, the UN has urged the LTTE leadership “to immediately end
the practice of abduction, recruitment and use of children under the age
of 18 and to separate them from its ranks, in conformity with its
obligations under the action plan.”
The UN has also urged the Karuna Group led by V. Muralitharan, alias
Karuna, to stop recruiting children. But neither party has implemented
the promises given to UN representatives or has shown a willingness to
aide by international law.
JoAnna Van Gerpen, head of UNICEF’s Sri Lanka mission, told the Asian
Tribune, that the Karuna group has outpaced the recruitment of child
soldiers by the Tamil Tigers.
According to UNICEF records, there were 226 unaccounted recruited
underage children with the Karuna Group at the end of June and 1567 with
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
JoAnna Van Gerpen told the Asian Tribune that UNICEF is continuing
its dialogue with the LTTE on a regular basis.
But she said that the Karuna group has not fulfilled the commitments
they made to stop child recruitment. She further said that they’ve also
obstructed UNICEF access to camps to monitor the situation.
“So at this point we do not feel they are operating in good faith,”
she said.
According to a Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission report quoted by Reuter
34 abductions took place in the East between June 11-17, 2007.
The UN Security Council’s working group on Children and Armed
Conflict, According to a document dated June 13, 2007 states “The
Working Group has agreed to recommend that the President of the Security
Council address a letter to the Secretary-General, requesting that the
Secretary-General report to the Council on children and armed conflict
in Sri Lanka by October 31, 2007, paying particular attention to the
follow-up by the parties to the messages addressed to them by the
Chairman of the Working Group”.
The UN commended the Government for volunteering for the
implementation of a monitoring and reporting mechanism on children and
armed conflict in Sri Lanka and its participation in the conference
entitled “Free Children from War”, held in Paris in February 2007.
It welcomed the commitment of the Government of Sri Lanka to enforce
a policy of zero tolerance for the recruitment and use of children in
armed conflict and, in that context, its commitment to investigate the
allegations made against elements of its security forces.
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