Marked drop in child recruitment by Karuna faction

Rasika Somarathna

COLOMBO: There has been a marked decline in cases relating to abductions or forced recruitment of children by the Karuna faction in recent times. There had been no such complaints recorded so far for this year, law enforcement authorities said yesterday.

However an independent verification of forcible recruitment in uncleared areas is not possible, where it is believed that such practice is rampant, with Security Forces encountering a number of underaged LTTE cadres and several others surrendering to authorities in recent times.

According to Sri Lanka's criminal law, forcible recruitment and deployment of children in armed conflict is an offence punishable by 30 years of imprisonment.

This was revealed when a high level committee headed by Justice and Law Reforms Ministry Secretary Suhada Gamlath recently undertook a mission to the East, on the instructions of Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, to assess the present situation with regard to forcible recruitment of child soldiers.

The committee tasked inter alia, with initiating inquiries into and monitoring of the allegations, made in connection with abduction and recruitment of children by the LTTE and other groups (including the Karuna faction), is scheduled to make a detailed report on the progress made so far at the UN Security Council meeting tomorrow.

According to committee recommendations steps are being taken to ensure the welfare of children caught in the armed conflict and rehabilitation and vocational education programmes have been envisaged to make them productive members of society, sources said.

Preventive measures have also been taken by Police to deny access by armed groups to schools for recruiting children.

According to Minister Samarasinghe it is imperative to obtain accurate statistics and credible information on alleged abductions and recruitment on a timely basis, for authorities to investigate and initiate prosecutions based on such allegations without delay.Samarasinghe noted that the Government was committed to address this issue conclusively and would leave no stone unturned in its efforts to eradicate the menace.