06-27-2004, 02:43 AM
<span style='font-size:25pt;line-height:100%'>Tamils warned over child soldiers </span>
By Frances Harrison
BBC correspondent in Colombo
Some critics accuse the rebels of deliberately targeting children
The United Nations children's agency in Sri Lanka says Tamil Tiger rebels have stepped up recruitment of child soldiers in recent weeks.
The rebels have repeatedly made commitments to end the practice.
Unicef says it has received reports of 159 children being recruited since the beginning of April.
But it is common for the number of reported incidents to be a fraction of the real number because parents are too afraid to complain against the rebels.
Lack of co-operation
The Tamil Tigers admit they are involved in a recruitment drive in the north of the island, which in itself is not a violation of the ceasefire agreement with the government.
But Unicef says children under 18 years of age are being indiscriminately caught up in the recruitment process.
It has called for them to be released immediately.
Unicef has been working with the Tigers for a year now on a joint plan to rehabilitate all children affected by Sri Lanka's long-running civil war.
But the organisation said in a statement the lack of co-operation from the rebels on the child soldier issue had been very unfortunate.
Strident tone
It said none of the steps it repeatedly asked the Tigers to take to prevent child recruitment were implemented.
It is clear from the increasingly strident tone of statements from Unicef that it is becoming more and more difficult for them to continue to try and rehabilitate child soldiers without the rebels taking the issue seriously.
Many of the top Tiger leaders themselves were under 18 when they joined the movement and it appears they have failed to appreciate the international concern this issue evokes.
Harsher critics say the rebels deliberately target children, despite the adverse publicity, because they find them easier to control on the battlefield than adults.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asi...sia/3842635.stm
By Frances Harrison
BBC correspondent in Colombo
Some critics accuse the rebels of deliberately targeting children
The United Nations children's agency in Sri Lanka says Tamil Tiger rebels have stepped up recruitment of child soldiers in recent weeks.
The rebels have repeatedly made commitments to end the practice.
Unicef says it has received reports of 159 children being recruited since the beginning of April.
But it is common for the number of reported incidents to be a fraction of the real number because parents are too afraid to complain against the rebels.
Lack of co-operation
The Tamil Tigers admit they are involved in a recruitment drive in the north of the island, which in itself is not a violation of the ceasefire agreement with the government.
But Unicef says children under 18 years of age are being indiscriminately caught up in the recruitment process.
It has called for them to be released immediately.
Unicef has been working with the Tigers for a year now on a joint plan to rehabilitate all children affected by Sri Lanka's long-running civil war.
But the organisation said in a statement the lack of co-operation from the rebels on the child soldier issue had been very unfortunate.
Strident tone
It said none of the steps it repeatedly asked the Tigers to take to prevent child recruitment were implemented.
It is clear from the increasingly strident tone of statements from Unicef that it is becoming more and more difficult for them to continue to try and rehabilitate child soldiers without the rebels taking the issue seriously.
Many of the top Tiger leaders themselves were under 18 when they joined the movement and it appears they have failed to appreciate the international concern this issue evokes.
Harsher critics say the rebels deliberately target children, despite the adverse publicity, because they find them easier to control on the battlefield than adults.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asi...sia/3842635.stm
Truth 'll prevail