View source for Social:Militant use of children in Sri Lanka

'''Militant use of children in Sri Lanka''' has been an internationally recognized problem since the inception of the Sri Lankan civil war in 1983. The primary recruiters of under the age of 18 children are the rebel LTTE movement and the Karuna group (a break-away faction of the LTTE working with Sri Lanka Forces).<ref name=UNICEF20060622>{{cite press release |title=UNICEF condemns abduction and recruitment of Sri Lankan children by the Karuna group |publisher=UNICEF |date=2006-06-22 |url=http://www.unicef.org/media/media_34677.html |access-date=2008-07-16}}</ref><ref name=rediff20050126>{{cite news|title=Tsunami orphans swell LTTE ranks |url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/jan/26ltte.htm |publisher=Rediff.com India Limited |date=2005-01-26 |access-date=2008-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050907141326/http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/jan/26ltte.htm |archive-date=September 7, 2005 }}</ref><ref name=irandaily20050127>{{cite news|title=Sri Lankan Rebels Recruiting Child Soldiers |url=http://www.iran-daily.com/1383/2201/pdf/9-politic.pdf |format=PDF |work=Iran Daily |page=9 |date=2005-01-27 |access-date=2008-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184434/http://www.iran-daily.com/1383/2201/pdf/9-politic.pdf |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}</ref><ref name=sfchron20060917>{{cite news |first=Nick |last=Meo |title=Tamil Tigers abduct teens to fight |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/17/MNGIPL6N391.DTL&feed=rss.news  |work=San Francisco Chronicle |page=A17 |date=2006-09-17 |access-date=2008-07-16}}</ref>

==LTTE recruitment==
Before 2007 the LTTE was accused of recruiting thousands of children into their ranks. The LTTE has been accused of knowingly recruiting and using child soldiers as front-line troops. Amid international pressure, LTTE announced in July 2003 that it would stop conscripting child soldiers, but both UNICEF and HRW have accused it of reneging on its promises, and of conscripting Tamil children orphaned by the tsunami. LTTE  created 'orphanages' for children displaced in the fighting where they underwent indoctrination and recruitment. The Sirasu Puli (Leopard Brigade) was said to be composed entirely of children from these orphanages.<ref>{{cite web |title=Child Soldiers Global Report 2001 - Sri Lanka |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/498805ccc.html |website=refworld.org |publisher=Child Soldiers International |access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref> UNICEF claimed that LTTE recruited at least 40 children orphaned by the tsunami.<ref name=rediff20050126 /> However, from the beginning of 2007 LTTE agreed to release all of the recruits under the age of 18.

===2007===
According to UNICEF, between November 1, 2006 and August 31, 2007, 262 children were recruited by the LTTE; this figure includes 32 children who were rerecruited after being released.  This number shows a significant decrease in recruitment as compared to the previous 12-month period, which saw the LTTE recruit 756 children, of whom 97 were rerecruits.<ref>[http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24745&Itemid=2 Associated Press of Pakistan - Sri Lankan rebels still recruiting child soldiers : UN chief<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The LTTE promised that it would release all of the recruits under the age of 18 before the end of the year. On 18 June 2007, the LTTE released 135 children under the age of 18. On 22 October 2007, UNICEF claimed that at least 506 child recruits (under the age of 18) still remained under the LTTE. UNICEF further noted that there had been a significant drop in recruitment of children by the LTTE.<ref>[http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engASA370172007?open&of=eng-LKA Sri Lanka: Amnesty International urges LTTE to live up to its pledge to end child recruitment | Amnesty International<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022100510/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA370172007?open&of=ENG-LKA |date=2007-10-22 }}</ref> Furthermore, a report released by the LTTE's Child Protection Authority (CPA) in 2008 reported that fewer than 40 child soldiers, under the age of 18, still remained in their forces.<ref>[http://www.ltteps.org/?view=2095&folder=17 LTTE PS: Status of UNICEF database on underage LTTE members<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716163102/http://www.ltteps.org/?view=2095&folder=17 |date=2011-07-16 }}</ref> In January 2008, the LTTE claimed that they had stopped child recruitment.<ref name="The Hindu News Update Service">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/holnus/001200801311401.htm |location=Chennai, India |work=The Hindu |title=Karuna faction recruiting child soldiers in Lanka: UN |date=2008-01-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107152624/http://www.hindu.com/holnus/001200801311401.htm |archive-date=2012-11-07 }}</ref> 
Despite the LTTE claims the LTTE began increasing forced recruitment of children as the war neared its end recruiting children as young as 11 and threatening to shoot children that retreated. However many managed to run away under fire from the LTTE and according to the UNICEF  a total of 594 children aged between 12 and 18 years surrendered to armed forces during the end of the war.<ref>{{cite news |title=Once a child soldier now an ice-creme truck driver |url=https://www.unicef.org/srilanka/reallives_7924.html |access-date=7 August 2018 |agency=UNICEF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=LTTE recruiting more child soldiers, says UNICEF |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/latest-headlines/story/ltte-recruiting-more-child-soldiers-says-unicef-39920-2009-02-17 |access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='I'm only 16. They gave me a rifle. It was heavy. They said we had to go forward. If we came back, they would shoot us' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/31/sri-lanka-children-tamil-tigers |access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref>

==TMVP Paramilitary Recruitment and State Involvement==
More recently, TMVP known as the Karuna Group (A Tamil paramilitary group which supports the Sri Lankan government), has been held responsible for the abduction of children according to UNICEF and Human Rights Watch.<ref name=HRN20061128>{{cite press release |title=Sri Lanka: Stop Child Abductions by Karuna Group |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=2006-11-28 |url=https://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/11/28/slanka14678.htm |access-date=2008-07-16}}</ref> Allan Rock, who is a special advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur for Children and Armed Conflict Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, alleged<ref name=BBC20061113>{{cite news |title=Sri Lanka youth 'seized to fight' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6144200.stm |work=BBC News |date=2006-11-13 |access-date=2008-07-16}}</ref> that government forces had forcibly rounded up young Tamil children to fight with Col Karuna's group. Colonel Karuna, while categorically denying any involvement in abducting children, questioned Rock's impartiality, stating that Allan Rock is a former politician with links to the LTTE who had previously helped the LTTE in Canada.<ref name=AT20061127>{{cite news |title=Solheim in the pay of Tigers: his house in Norway bought with Tiger money - Col. Karuna |url=http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/3418 |work=Asian Tribune |date=2006-11-27 |access-date=2008-07-16}}</ref> Civilians have also complained that the TMVP is continuing to abduct children, including some in their early teens, for use as soldiers.<ref name=sfchron20060917 /> Allan Rock vowed that he had "credible evidence" for the accusations.<ref name=BBC20061113 /> The government of Sri Lanka and the Government newspaper ''Daily News'' asked Mr. Rock to produce substantive proof that Sri Lankan soldiers collaborated in child soldier recruitment.<ref name=daily20061123>{{cite news |first=Asoka |last=Weerasinghe |title=Slice your defence whichever way |url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2006/11/23/fea01.asp |work=Daily News |publisher=The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd |date=2006-11-23 |access-date=2008-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215033652/http://www.dailynews.lk/2006/11/23/fea01.asp |archive-date=2008-12-15 }}</ref> The new report by the {{wipe|United Nations}} stated that TMVP still recruits children. The UN further noted that children have been abducted in places like Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Sri Lanka.<ref name="The Hindu News Update Service"/>

==See also==
*Military use of children
*Government of Sri Lanka
*LTTE
*Colonel Karuna

==References==
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Military sociology]]

{{Sourceattribution|Militant use of children in Sri Lanka|1}}