UN pressures LTTE to show progress on child rights issues

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 June 2007, 02:09 GMT]
The UN Security Council’s Working Group on Children in Armed Conflict said that Liberation Tigers and the Karuna group "continue to recruit and use child soldiers and commit serious violations of children’s rights," and in a statement urged the LTTE "to proceed immediately, in a transparent manner, to return the children to their families, to respect the neutrality of schools and to permit access to humanitarian actors in zones that are under its control." The Working Group made a similar statement addressing the Karuna faction.

Statement: WG on Children and Armed Conflict

The Working Group recommended that the Security Council ask the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the parties’ follow-up to the messages that have been sent to them, and warned that if the LTTE does not abide by its commitments concerning recruitment, “further steps may be taken."

Unofficial sources from sources said that UN anticipates LTTE to show progress before the end of August when resolutions get written for Security Council action in November.

The chair also wrote a letter to the Government of Sri Lanka inviting it to implement as a priority the commitments it made before the Working Group in the protection of children and the fight against impunity.

The Working Group on Children in Armed Conflict has met at least twice over the winter and spring to consider the situation of countries in which underage recruitment takes place.

The Working Group consists of representatives from all 15 members of the Security Council and considers, among other issues, recruitment of those under 18 by non-state actors in countries that have ratified the Optional Protocol on Children in Armed Conflict.

External Links:

UN:		Statement 11 May- Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict
UN:		Report May- 2007 Children and Armed Conflict
UN:		Statement 11 April- Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict
UN:		Children and Armed Conflict: Meeting of the Working Group, May 10, 2007