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HRC frowns on LTTE's child recruitment

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) is convinced that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been engaged in abducting children after the signing of the ceasefire agreement with the government.

HRC Chairperson, Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy said a fact-finding mission sent to the east recently by the HRC has found out that child abduction is rife in the region. The team undertook this mission following complaints filed with the commission with regard to child abductions and child soldiers.

The team held extensive discussion with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and parents of children who had been abducted by the LTTE.

"We are convinced that child recruitment and child abductions continue to take place in the east after the ceasefire agreement. This is one of the most disturbing elements since the signing of the ceasefire," Dr. Coomaraswamy told The Sunday Leader.

She also further endorsed the report of UNICEF which states a large number of children have been recruited by the LTTE. "We are also convinced that this takes place in cycles perhaps linked to the training programmes conducted by the LTTE," she said.

She said mothers of children who have been abducted have come to the commission offices and approached individual commissioners and described child abductions, adding, "therefore we are convinced that in many of these cases the abductions are not voluntary."

The HRC according to her is to publish a report on the findings of the fact finding mission shortly. Dr. Coomaraswamy says after the publication of the report, the HRC would attempt to approach the LTTE to have a dialogue based on the findings.

With regard to the Eastern Province, she said the commission is convinced that there must be a human rights agreement between the parties to the conflict and that effective monitoring must be done with substantial international advice and assistance.

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