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UNICEF statement on LTTE child recruits `pretty lame`
Wednesday, 15 February 2006 - 3:20 AM SL Time
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UNICEF, which sporadically releases statements on child conscription, also pointed out that the average age of recruitment has increased from 14 to 16.
`While recruitment of children has been reduced, and the average age of recruitment has increased from 14 to 16 years, recruitment of even one child is unacceptable according to the Convention of the Rights of the Child,` says the statement attributed to JoAnna VanGerpen, UNICEF representative in Sri Lanka.
She is also quoted as saying: `While recruitment of children in the last six months declined to an average of 43 a month, only 79 children were released and reunited with their families during the same period.` VanGerpen does not specify whether those who had been released and reunited with their families were the same children who had been newly recruited or whether they had been conscripted earlier.
According to statistics recorded by UNICEF, 83 children were recruited in August, 63 in September, 43 in October, 21 in November, 26 in December and 25 in January. This amounts to 261 children in 168 days - or, more underage recruits (in six months) than the total number of words in the body of the yesterday`s UNICEF statement.
Meanwhile, these figures only reflect details of cases actually reported to UNICEF.
`These numbers may have gone down because UNICEF has lost credibility,` says Harendra de Silva, former head of the National Child Protection Authority and an outspoken critic of how UNICEF has handled the child recruitment issue.
`Some parents of abducted children have personally told me that they don`t report the cases to UNICEF because they have no trust in the agency,` maintained de Silva, who has authored the book Power Games in War and Peace. `Independent rights groups have clearly pointed to increasing recruitment but UNICEF says nothing.`
`UNICEF is being pampered by the LTTE and the LTTE is being pampered by UNICEF,` he criticized.
De Silva said it was vital to condemn conscription of children regardless of the age of the recruits. `I`m at a loss to understand why UNICEF Sri Lanka has opted to divide children into age-based categories,` he commented. `The international community does not specify that separate sets of rules apply to children between one and five, six and ten, eleven and fifteen, etcetera.`
`But UNICEF seems to express appreciation that the LTTE has increased the age of recruitment from 14 to 16,` he continued. `Why they are doing this is beyond my comprehension.`
A senior Foreign Ministry official also expressed concern at the latest UNICEF statement. `UNICEF`s business here is not to regulate underage recruitment but to stop it,` he said. `The government is strongly concerned about the lessening focus on continuing child recruitment.`
The official pointed out that child conscription was a zero tolerance issue. `There is no question of leaving room for it,` he stressed, speaking on condition of anonymity. `it should stop.`
`UNICEF`s mandate is not to express satisfaction that terrorist groups are improving on their age threshold but to adopt a zero tolerance policy and to stop child recruitment,` he reiterated. `That`s what UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said and that is what he also told the UN Security Council.`
`UNICEF can`t take a different stance,` he said. `Their latest statement shows that UNICEF may be at variance with the UN Security Council.`
Victor Nylund, head of child protection at UNICEF, said the child rights agency continues to have dialogue with the LTTE. `We are trying to address the issue of recruitment within the framework of the Action Plan for Children Affected by War,` he specified.
The action plan is the only signed human rights agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to have emerged from the suspended peace talks in 2003, and it represents the only formal agreement by both sides to address the urgent needs of children affected by war.
Nylund said UNICEF remained concerned at the monthly average of 43 child recruits a month but said there was a drop when compared with monthly figures of 150 in previous years. `In that sense, we are just trying to put things into perspective,` he asserted, adding that child rights advocates were pleased about the declining figures.
It was possible that the level of reporting has been constrained by increased violence, particularly in the east, Nylund admitted. However, UNICEF was aware of this risk and was sending its officers to the field more frequently in order to improve accessibility.
`Child recruitment is a serious violation of international law and UNICEF, together with the international community, advocates to all the parties to unite against underage recruitment,` yesterday`s statement said. `UNICEF shared this position at a child protection meeting with LTTE officials` on Sunday, 12 February.`
Asked what the LTTE`s response had been, Nylund said: `The LTTE continue to state that they do not recruit children.` He said UNICEF holds monthly discussions with the rebels. One intention of these talks was to get the LTTE to admit they had these children. Another objective was to work with the Tigers towards reintegrating the children into society.
Nylund also said that, without progress in the peace process, the LTTE were `not so keen` to move in the right direction. This was because children were part of the military process and the Tigers needed military forces. The Government of Sri Lanka, however, was taking a lead role, globally, by not enlisting young children.
Asked why UNICEF continued to be soft on the Tigers, Nylund replied: `It doesn`t just help to blast, blast and blast. We must find ways and means to help people (LTTE) come on board. The decline in the number of recruitments and the increase in the average age of recruitment show that we are on the right track.`
Nevertheless, Nylund said this limited success may also be a result of tough international sanctions including the European Union travel ban, UN Security Council resolutions and the threat of future sanctions against actors involved in child conscription.
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Gaja
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 14 Feb 2006 21:38:57 GMT Report for Abuse
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I am happy that someone has been listening to me. That is the power of Truth.
Western measures have to be 'customized' before they are used in the East. UNICEF and other agenices need to study the Tamil system before criticizing the Tigers. Religion is a strong influence in the life of Tamils. Lord Muruga is a Child-Warrior. To the extent Tigers use Western system - including its weapons, they are WRONG in using the Hindu religious leadership in recruiting children. Children in Australia leave home at an early age - much earlier than Tamil children leave their home. THAT is the 'natural' limit - so long as children leave on their own and are not influenced by economic dependence on the government. Each society must work out its own limits and to this extent it needs its privacy.
Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam from Australia |
srimal111
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 14 Feb 2006 22:44:20 GMT Report for Abuse
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Gaja
seriously . your a sick person. you dont understand simple things in life. what are you trying to say ? Child recrument is good ?
just say if its good or bad. !! this is not sky rocket science.
this is not as complicated like the problem you had with
W.Grant !!
we are talking about humans. !!
Edited By - srimal111 - 14 Feb 2006 22:46:23 GMT |
Gaja
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14 Feb 2006 22:53:01 GMT Report for Abuse
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Srimal111,
You are a typical example of the Objective method gone wrong. You seek yes/no answers to a question of Love / Truth.
You are therefore a process worker petending to be a policy worker. Your role in this forum is to report facts and no more.
Go and do the work to find facts and report them as an observer and don't 'judge' and pollute and distract this forum from its productive work.
love
gaja |
Praetorian
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14 Feb 2006 23:26:20 GMT Report for Abuse
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Gaja: 'I am happy that someone has been listening to me'
Don't tell me you actually believe that what is posted here affects the decisions of people or organisations as in UNICEF's case.
Edited By - Praetorian - 14 Feb 2006 23:27:05 GMT |
tamilcanuck
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 14 Feb 2006 23:50:33 GMT Report for Abuse
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Srimal111,
this is not as black and white as you think. its a bit complicated. I think Gaja acca has been working in the east particularly after T sunami came by and has a bit more ground level knowledge.
here is something i wrote in another thread.
there are orphanages run by the tigers because as they are the state its their duty. these are children who have lost parents to the war. some kids may opt to join the tigers and there is no denying it. you cant force a kid to join because his/her worth when forced is negated.
there are lots of articles from folks who travelled there. i give here two articles that i found when i did a quick search.
http://207.57.7.130/articles/view2/?uid=494
http://207.57.7.130/articles/view2/?uid=405
how come no one is talking about cricket! |
Gaja
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15 Feb 2006 03:01:56 GMT Report for Abuse
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Praetorian,
I do fully believe that it does. I did not previously but 'talked' to God and felt consoled. But after many events at the University of New South Wales which influenced me to write to senior Government Officials and authorities, I started noticing a pattern - that they were saying what I had written to them. Some of them I knew was directly connected to my communications - partly because they responded back BEFORE using my work. But in most instances, they did not respond back but it felt as if they were plagiarising my work. Some of the did. But there were instances where matters happened to confirm what I said - but at the higher levels. The report by the Auditor General about University Budgeting systems published on 05 November 1998 was one of them. Holy powder materialised on my picture of Sai Baba on that day before I read the report the following day. I intuitively knew that I had Divine support. Armed with this, I started 'observing'. Now I realise that Truth connects us universally. The Auditor General also wanted to publish the Truth before he retired. This upheld the Truth I had already highlighted to the Vice Chancellor. There were many other such incidents and hence I feel at peace - knowing that whatever I do genuinely will benefit all genuine workers and seeker.
love
gaja |
Dauntless
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 15 Feb 2006 03:10:30 GMT Report for Abuse
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Srimal11...it's pointless arguing with Gaja on this. She and i had a discussion on another thread on the same topic.
I beleive as humans...humanity comes before any other divisions...be it race, religion etc. etc.
You don't respect humanity by sending kids to war when their mind is not developed fully...
Why is that humans have the longest childhood period...we can't run, talk or behave like other animals do when we're young... It takes a long time for a kid to be mature enough to 'compete' in life....like all other animals do we also compete...for place in society...for partners etc etc
it's sad to see people try to bury the issue under a smoke screen saying...we're in asia, culture or ground situation etc.
I would love to see if their willing to send their own kids to the frontline if it's necessary...
Give children the chance of life...no adult has the right to take away that from any kid...Kids can't make 'big' decissions like getting trained to take lives... Instead of guiding kids...these people are using them...
I can understand if a kid grows up and become 18 and still want to war... At least by that time they have developed their own viewpoint about life...
not a 12-16 year olds... |
Dauntless
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15 Feb 2006 03:14:07 GMT Report for Abuse
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This UNICEF jokers should hang themselves for making stupid statements like these..
Average 43 for month...these are reported cases. This idiot doesn't know that 43 children per month is getting their one chance at a proper future being taken away from them and leaving them scarred for life...
these guys should suffer a smillar loss according to rules of natural justice |
Gaja
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15 Feb 2006 03:33:43 GMT Report for Abuse
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Naleen, Srimal and Dauntless,
You have already agreed with someone else's views. You do not want to know what I have to say - AFTER having lived with the Tigers and with the parents of these children. As Tamilcanuck says - force negates the value that someone has. Young ones consider it to be prestigeous to join the Tigers. Some join for economic reasons. The latter is the fault of the Government which damaged the leadership of educated Tamils who believed in the merit basis. You are shooting the messenger and are trying to FORCE me to agree with you. If I did, to be popular with you - then I would come down to your level and then how can I educate you? If you want to be my equal then take up the opposition portfolio with DIGNITY and show 'objectively' why you consider the Tigers wrong - from zero base and not by using Western standards as they stand now.
love
gaja |
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