COLOMBO, 11 September 2002 - UNICEF is encouraged by the release of 85 child recruits by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam [LTTE] over the past few weeks.

A detailed list of the children was handed over to the UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka, Mr. Ted Chaiban, by Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan, Head of the LTTE’s Political Wing, at a meeting held in Kilinochchi on 6th September 2002. Mr. Thamilchelvan told UNICEF that the children had been returned directly into the care of their parents and guardians.

UNICEF staff have interviewed over 20 of the children, confirming that they had indeed been with the LTTE and have now been returned to their families. The agency will continue this process of review and contact all the children on the list and their families.

UNICEF is currently developing an action plan for the social reintegration of these children, including assistance returning to school, access to vocational training, and other activities.

UNICEF and the LTTE have also agreed to work out procedures for monitoring and preventing child recruitment in the future, and the continued release of under-age recruits still reported to be with the LTTE.

UNICEF hopes to see a ‘child-recruit free’ Sri Lanka, and views this latest development as a positive step, and encourages the LTTE to take further steps to fulfill the rights of children as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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For more information, please contact:

M. Nizar, UNICEF Colombo, 551331 / 551332 Ext. 250;

KABUL, 8 February 2004 – An initial group of 2,000 former underage soldiers associated with Afghanistan’s fighting forces will benefit from a reintegration and rehabilitation programme this week, supported by UNICEF. The programme – which follows a successful pilot project in 2003 – begins on February 10 in the north-eastern province of Badahkshan and will be followed by similar exercises in Kunduz, Taloqan, Baghlan and the Central Highlands region throughout February.

A total of 5,000 underage soldiers will receive assistance from the programme by the end of 2004. The programme has been established in consultation with the Afghan New Beginnings Programme (ANBP) which is leading on the disarmament of former combatants across Afghanistan.

The new phase of the reintegration programme focuses on the development of an information database on each former underage soldier, including psychosocial assessment and medical screening, and the creation of a comprehensive care plan for each child. Following their identification by local demobilization and integration committees, each participant will receive information and advice on options available to him, such as education, vocational training and other skills acquisition, as well as drug abuse prevention and mine risk education. Special briefings for the former child soldiers will also explain the civic responsibilities expected of all community members, in an effort to underline the constructive role that these young people can make in the rebuilding of their nation.

UNICEF is working with a number of NGO partners including Child Fund Afghanistan, AREA, Save the Children - Sweden and BRAC to provide community-based rehabilitation projects that will allow former underage soldiers and other vulnerable to re-enter education, or learn a new skill or trade that will assist them to financially support themselves and their families, and provide opportunities and alternatives to military life. Most former underage soldiers in Afghanistan have missed out on many years of education, and all participants in the programme will receive basic literacy and numeracy tuition. In the northern provinces where the reintegration project is commencing this week, it is expected that participants will be able to start education and skills training activities within two to four weeks once their needs and aspirations have been assessed.

UNICEF estimates that there a total of 8,000 former child soldiers in Afghanistan, many of whom have already left the fighting forces informally over the past year. All are in urgent need of assistance to fully reintegrate to civilian life, especially in the area of education and sustainable income-generation.

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For more information, please contact:
Edward Carwardine, UNICEF Media – Kabul +93 (0)702 74729

UNICEF calls on the LTTE to ensure released child soldiers are not re-recruited

COLOMBO, 16 April 2004 – UNICEF has confirmed the tragic deaths of two child soldiers in the LTTE fighting that took place in Sri Lanka’s east last week. The children were 17 and 18 year old girls. The 18 year old had been in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) since August 2001 when she was just 16. Both girls were in Kanuna’s cadre at the time of their death, but while any child soldiers remain in the LTTE they are also at risk.

The families of the two girls are grieving the senseless loss of their young daughters. In the wake of this tragedy, UNICEF calls on the LTTE to free the remaining child soldiers in the organization, including those in the north, and to make a commitment to not re-recruit any of the children released in the past week.

“I would like to send our condolences to the families of the children killed in the recent fighting,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s Representative in Sri Lanka. “Children should never be recruited or accepted voluntarily into military organizations. Even now in a time of relative peace in Sri Lanka, children have been sent to the front lines and have died there.”

“This can not be tolerated,” he added. “All people must take a stand on this issue and protect children from this type of terrible tragedy.”

On Tuesday 13 April, the LTTE formally released 209 children and UNICEF assisted in reunifying them with their families. However, many more children returned home of their own accord. So far, UNICEF has confirmed that 259 children have returned home to their families. But, this number could continue to climb as UNICEF and its partners trace the children over the coming weeks.

UNICEF is working to register all of the children that have left the LTTE in the past week. This includes handing out leaflets and airing radio announcements to get families to alert UNICEF that their children have come home. UNICEF and its partners will then work to monitor all of the children to ensure that they are kept safe and that any re-recruitment or harassment is reported immediately and rectified.

UNICEF says the LTTE must commit itself to not re-recruiting any of the children that have left the organization in the wake of last weeks fighting, and that they continue the process of releasing the children in their ranks.

“The events of the past week and the deaths of these children underline exactly why there must be an end to child recruitment in Sri Lanka,” said Mr. Chaiban. “The LTTE can not allow any re-recruitment of children by its regional cadres, and the large scale release of child soldiers must also happen in the north so we never have a tragedy like this again.”

*   *  *
For further information, please contact:
Geoffrey Keele, UNICEF Sri Lanka +94-777-416-742
Martin Dawes, UNICEF Regional Office +977-1-441-7082
Damien Personnaz, UNICEF Geneva +41 22 909 5716
Gordon Weiss, UNICEF New York HQ +1-212-326-7426

• The Action Plan is a joint Government and LTTE plan to address the needs of children affected by war. The Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process is the main Government counterpart and the Ministry of Social Service is the technical Government counterpart. UNICEF facilitated the development of the Plan and is working with a number of partners including the Save the Children, UNDP, ILO and TRO to implement the Action Plan. One of the ten components of the Action Plan is the establishment of a mechanism for the release and reintegration of underage recruits through temporary transit centres.
• The Action Plan is a holistic programme that addresses the needs of 50,000 children affected by war in the North and East of Sri Lanka. This includes children who may have been engaged in hazardous labour, have become street children, or have been recruited as child soldiers. These children will be provided with comprehensive support to go back to school and with psychosocial healing and health care. For children who are  above school-age, there will be specialised vocational training so they can learn a trade. For families who are struggling to support their children due to poverty, there will be micro-credit and income generation support. The total cost of this 2-3 year programme is US$14,165,000.
• There will be three transit centres in Kilinochchi, Batticaloa and Trincomalee. The inauguration of the Kilinochchi transit centre will be on 3 October 2003. The other two transit centres are under construction. Each transit centre can house up to 150 children at any given time.
• It is expected that the first group of children released to the Kilinochchi transit center will be about 50 boys and girls who have been with the LTTE for varying periods of time. Some may have been with the LTTE for a month; some may have been with the LTTE for a year. Every child released from the LTTE is another child out of a hazardous environment and on the path to be back with their families. UNICEF has reports from parents of 1,155 children who are still with the LTTE. UNICEF is advocating for those children to be released to the transit centre.
• Most children will be able to go back to their families after an initial assessment in the transit centre. It is important to note that there is a difference between assessment and rehabilitation. Transit centres are just for assessment. Rehabilitation will occur when the child is back with their family and community.  A few children, who are unable to go back to their families due to family problems, may need an alternative care solution such as staying with extended family, or staying in a children’s home for some time. No child will be at the transit centre for more than three months.
• The child’s reintegration and rehabilitation needs when they are back in the community will be looked after by a Save the Children social worker. These social workers will ensure that the child has access to catch-up education, vocational training (such as to learn a trade) and psychosocial and health support.
• If the family is too poor to be able to afford to have the child back home, the Action Plan will provide specific support in the form of micro-credit, grants and vocational training for the child and their family.
• Management of the transit centre will be by UNICEF and TRO. UNICEF has employed two international staff and five national staff to manage each of the three transit centres. All transit centre staff have been provided with training by the Ministry of Social Welfare (specifically the National Institute of Social Development). UNICEF will have international staff present in each transit centre on a 24 hour basis. The LTTE will not have access to the transit centre.
• The approximate cost to set up and run one transit centre and its associated assessment services for one year is US$244,000. All supplies are purchased by UNICEF. The total cost of US$244,000 includes:
  • Construction of dormitories, latrines, wells, recreation hall, parents lodge etc.
  • Purchase of furniture by UNICEF including bunk beds, cupboards, dining tables, chairs, office furniture, computers, TV, video and sporting equipment.
  • Purchase and management of one landcruiser and two generators by UNICEF (UNICEF retains ownership and use of these assets).
  • Hiring of one van for transporting children
  • Food and care for approx 150 children for one year
  • Salaries of transit centre staff
  • Vehicle maintenance and fuel, telephone costs, travel, staff training etc.
  • All funds for the transit centre are being managed by UNICEF. US$300,000 has been advanced to the TRO for the first stage of construction of the three transit centres, recruitment of transit centre staff and the initial running costs detailed above. These funds will be subject to UNICEF’s strict and rigorous financial rules and regulations, as well as close monitoring of their use.

• The majority of the Action Plan focuses on the reintegration and rehabilitation of the child at family and community level. Of the total cost of US$14.165 million, US$4 million is for microcredit facilities and income generation (managed by UNDP); US$2.22 million is for vocational training (managed by ILO); and US$1.326 million is for the transit centres (managed by UNICEF).
• In the transit centre, all the child’s health needs will be addressed. When the child arrives they will be given a health check by the District Medical Officer of the Deputy Provincial Director of Health Services (DPDHS) and any immediate health concerns will be treated. A qualified nurse will be at the transit centre at all times. In case of an emergency, there will always be transport available to take the child immediately to the Kilinochchi hospital.
• UNICEF continues to advocate with the LTTE for an end to child recruitment. As of 30 September 2003, UNICEF has received 1,683 reports of children who have been recruited by the LTTE. 385 underage recruits have been released. 1,155 children from the UNICEF list of reported cases remain with the LTTE. In January 2003, there were 114 reports of underage recruitment. Since January there has been some decrease in reports of underage recruitment, however, there has been a slight increase in reports since June 2003, with 56 reports of recruitment in June, 45 reports in July, 57 in August and 52 reports of recruitment in September. Every report of underage recruitment is of concern to UNICEF and jeopardises the success of the Action Plan for Children Affected by War. UNICEF continues to advocate with the LTTE for the immediate release of all these children.

For more information please contact:

Surani Abeyeskerera, UNICEF.
Tel: 01-2555270 Ext. 243, or 0777416739

Government of Afghanistan continues to “set an agenda of peace” for Afghan children

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 23 September 2003 - UNICEF has hailed Afghanistan’s formal ratification of an international agreement to curb the recruitment of child soldiers.

At a United Nations ceremony tomorrow Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, will proclaim the accession of Afghanistan to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.

UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said that Afghanistan’s ratification sets a “shining example” for other countries, since it goes beyond age limit of 18 established by the Protocol.

“Afghanistan has chosen of its own volition to set the limit at 22 years of age for recruitment into the Afghan National Army,” said Bellamy. “It is a brave and symbolic step for a country that was mired in war for more than two decades, where children have not only traditionally been used as fighters, but have even led militia forces.”

“It spells the determination of the government of Afghanistan to set an agenda of peace, and to set it in stone as a legacy for the next generations.”

Bellamy also noted that the Afghan Government’s steps towards accession to the Protocol have been taken in an environment where the issue of disarmament is highly charged. “The disarmament and demobilization process is a complex one in Afghanistan, but from early days the Government has been determined to push on with the legal structures necessary to protect children,” she said.

“And with its commitment to girls’ education in the face of sporadic violent attacks, the government of Afghanistan continues to show that it has the best interests of Afghan children at the heart of its legislative and practical agenda.”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai indicated his intention to stop the use of child soldiers in Afghanistan in August 2002, just months after his nomination as President of the Transitional Government. A series of legislative reforms followed, culminating in a presidential decree in May 2003 that prohibited the recruitment of children and young people under the age of 22 to Afghanistan’s new National Army.

The Optional Protocol is an international instrument that raises the age of recruitment to armed forces from 15 to 18 years of age and emphasizes that the reintegration and rehabilitation of children under the age of 18 formerly attached to fighting forces is the responsibility of the State.

* * * *

• There are 111 signatories to the Optional Protocol Treaty, and 59 Ratifications.
• At any one time, more than 300,000 children are involved as child soldiers in more than 30 conflicts around the globe.
• UNICEF is engaged in the demobilization and reintegration of thousands of Afghan children.
• More than 4 million Afghan children are now in school. UNICEF’s Back-to-School campaigns drew more than a million girls into the education system.
• UNICEF is supporting the immunization of millions of Afghan children against polio, measles, and other major killers of children.
• Thousands of schools are being targeted for rehabilitation, and for the installation of basic sanitary facilities.
• Through UNICEF support, Afghanistan will have salt iodization plants throughout the country by the end of next year.
• More than 700,000 Afghan women of child-bearing age were immunized against tetanus this year.
• UNICEF is supporting the campaign to register all children under one year of age throughout Afghanistan.
• Major UNICEF donors include (millions): Japan ($10.2), US ($4.5), Canada ($3), Germany ($0.8), Norway ($0.8), New Zealand ($0.8), Italy ($0.7), Sweden ($0.58), Australia ($0.55), Ireland ($0.55), Finland ($0.43) and UNICEF national committees.

For more information, please contact:

Chulho Hyun, UNICEF Media,
Kabul (+93(0) 702-78493

Edward Carwardine, UNICEF Media,
Kabul (+93 (0) 702-74729

Gordon Weiss, UNICEF Media,
New York (+1 212) 326-7426

Damien Personnaz, UNICEF Media,
Geneva (+41 22) 909- 5716

COLUMBO, 22 January 2004 -   A call for more commitment to make lasting improvements in the lives of Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable children has been made in a report that details progress by partners to the Action Plan for Children Affected by War. The report was compiled by UNICEF.  It gives an overview on the situation of children affected by war, and details what was done in 2003 to help address urgent needs. The report follows the Oslo, Berlin and Hakone peace talks where the parties asked UNICEF to develop an Action Plan for Children Affected by War to monitor, report on and address child rights violations in the North East. Partners implementing the Action Plan include the Ministry of Social Welfare, Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), ILO, Save the Children in Sri Lanka, UNDP, UNHCR, and UNICEF.

Despite the two year old ceasefire there are still many children suffering the effects of twenty years of conflict. The Action Plan is a combined agency effort that links Government, LTTE, donors, Non Governmental Organisations and UN agencies in a united approach to address the health, education, and protection needs of children affected by war. It is estimated that 50,000 children in the affected region are out of school, around 140,000 have been displaced from their homes while landmines have killed 20 and maimed 17 children in 2003 alone. In the North East there is a serious deficit of education and health staff. More than 5,800 additional Tamil medium and 200 Sinhala medium teachers are needed.

Of particular concern is the use of children as soldiers. New UNICEF figures in the report state that during 2003, 709 children were recruited by the LTTE. In the same period, a total of 202 children were released, either to the recently established transit centre at Kilinochchi or directly back to their families. From reports submitted by families, UNICEF knows of at least 1,301 children still in the LTTE. In a three month period during August, September and October, recruitment increased with reports of 304 children taken into the LTTE.  In the last two months of the year, reported recruitment fell with 17 reported cases in November and 14 in December.

In 2003 systems to address the immediate needs of children affected by war, including children released from the LTTE, have been established.  For the first time in the Sri Lankan conflict there is now a formal mechanism for assisting the release and reintegration of child soldiers.  The 49 children released to the Kilinochchi Transit Centre in October have been either returned to their homes or, in the case of 8, to appropriate alternative care facilities.  At a meeting last week-end between the UNICEF representative to Sri Lanka, Mr. Ted Chaiban and the leader of the LTTE’s political wing, Mr. S.P. Tamilselvan, it was again stressed that the implementation of the Action Plan depends on an end to child recruitment and an accelerated release of all children in the LTTE’s ranks.

The report highlights what has been done to begin a holistic approach covering education, health, protection and economic improvement. If fully implemented over the period envisaged by the plan the result would be a vast improvement in the lives of war affected children. In 2003 ‘catch up’ education programmes reached 23,500 children, a total of 244 school buildings were refurbished and the recruitment of teachers to address the deficit has begun. The ILO has established vocational training capacity and the UNDP has systems in place for micro-credit schemes. The Ministry of Social Welfare has expanded its capacity on probation and child care.  Save the Children is providing social work support and follow up reporting on former child soldiers, which is essential to ensure reintegration and rehabilitation with their families and communities.  TRO is working on specific categories of vulnerable children such as street children.

For the Action Plan to be a success and to address the rights of children affected by war, the following must happen in 2004:

• The LTTE must cease all recruitment of children.
• The LTTE must release all child soldiers.
• The GOSL must continue its efforts to ensure that the significant shortages in education, health and social welfare staff are urgently addressed and that the basic infrastructure is rehabilitated.
• The UN agencies and NGOs must accelerate implementation of their programmes to support all components of the Action Plan and reach all children affected by war and increase advocacy on child rights.
• Donors support needs to continue and expand, both in terms of advocacy with the GOSL and LTTE and with financial contributions to the implementing partners.

‘Substantial work has been done and important foundations have been laid’, said Ted Chaiban of UNICEF. ‘The report shows that this is the time for increased commitment from all those engaged in the Action Plan because substantial change, that will bring benefits throughout Sri Lanka, is within our grasp.’

The total cost to implement the Action Plan’s 10 components over a three year period is $14.2 million, with $4 for micro credit and income generation (UNDP), $2.2 million for vocational training (ILO) and $8 million for different components including health, education and protection (UNICEF).

****

For further information, please contact:
Surani Abeyesekera, Communication Officer,
Colombo (94-11) 255-5270 or (94) 777 416742

“We must recognize that when it comes to the suffering of children in conflict, all of us are accountable.”

New York, Wednesday 14 January - UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy today urged the United Nations Security Council to establish a “culture of accountability” by holding those who use children in armed conflicts responsible for their actions.

Ms. Bellamy spoke today before a special session of the Security Council addressing the issue of children and armed conflict. The session follows a written report by the Secretary-General that “names and shames” those State Parties to conflict that recruit and use child soldiers.

“Can there be a more persuasive reason to act than the anguish of these children?” Bellamy asked the Council. “If so, it is hard to imagine.” She added: “It is children who represent the succeeding generations that the UN was founded to save - and it is we who have the power to halt the suffering that is endured by so many children in so many countries.”

Bellamy urged Council Members to refer to the Secretary-General’s list in all their deliberations, as well as to update it regularly, expanding its scope to include armed conflicts not now on the Council’s agenda.

Bellamy said UNICEF would use the list to intensify its own advocacy efforts at the global and national levels. She said the demobilization of child soldiers is a top priority for UNICEF and its partners, noting that reintegrating children back into their communities is a challenging process but one which is essential to breaking the cycle of recruitment. She added that peace agreements must always include specific commitments to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate children used in hostilities.

At any given time, an estimated 300,000 children across the globe are serving as child soldiers, Bellamy said. “They are living proof of the world’s systemic failure to protect children. And they explain why UNICEF’s work is focused on building a ‘protective environment’ for children, one that safeguards them from exploitation and abuse before it happens.”

Bellamy said a “protective environment” for demobilized child soldiers must include effective strategies to prevent their re-recruitment, including long-term investment in education, vocational training, and support for families and communities. She added that reintegration programs must take into account the specific needs of girls, who are rarely used as combatants but nonetheless suffer from extraordinary violence as sex slaves, porters, and servants.

Bellamy thanked the Council members for their important work, but said that “much more is required if we are to make the protection of children an explicit priority in our efforts to build peace and resolve conflict.”

“Over the years, responsible adults the world over have made good-faith promises to children. Promises to ease suffering and end exploitation - and to protect children from the loss of childhood, from rape and mutilation and recruitment as child soldiers,” Bellamy said. “Yet time and time again - in such places as Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Colombia and East Timor - cruelty and indifference has prevailed. We need to do more about accountability and impunity. We must find effective ways to promote peace building and conflict prevention. And we must recognize that when it comes to the suffering of children in conflict, all of us are accountable.”
Background

UNICEF works in some 25 countries affected by war. The organization focuses on strengthening the protective environment for children by restarting schools, supplying immunizations, reuniting children with their families, operating clinics and hospitals, supporting traumatized children, campaigning against child recruitment and promoting demobilization and disarmament.

In the Great Lakes area of central Africa, UNICEF is taking a regional approach, working in partnership with the World Bank, other UN agencies, donor governments and regional officials to develop a Multi-Country Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (MDRP).

In Angola, there is an urgent need to provide support to an estimated 8,000 children who were recruited during the civil war and have been released without a formal demobilisation exercise. In response, UNICEF is working to build support for these children’s reintegration into communities, and to provide health care and schooling.

Ms. Bellamy will visit Sri Lanka at the end of January. UNICEF continues to be very active in efforts to end the use of child soldiers in that country’s conflict and will focus on demobilization during her three-day stay.

* * *

For further information, please contact:

Jehane Sedky-Lavandero, UNICEF Media, New York,
(212) 326-7269 jsedky@unicef.org

Following a special meeting that they held in Dakar on Monday 21 July 2003 on the deteriorating situation in Liberia with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, Mr. Ould Abdallah, and the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Mr. Olara Otunnu, and UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Ms. Rima Salah, have issued the following joint statement:

DAKAR, MONROVIA, Tuesday, 22 July 2003.   “We urgently appeal to the leaders of all parties involved in the conflict in Liberia to stop all hostilities immediately.  We are deeply concerned by the dramatic deterioration of the situation in Monrovia and by the unacceptable mobilisation of children and women, in violation of all agreed international norms and standards.  Some of the actions against children and women constitute crimes of war under the Statute of the International Criminal Court.

“All parties must apply fully and respect the international instruments concerning the protection of war-affected children, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols,  the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and UN Security Council Resolutions 1261 (1991), 1314 (2000), 1379 (2001) and 1460 (2003). Children must be protected against all harm.

” Unless the fighting stops immediately, we risk a major human catastrophe in Liberia.  The human suffering and desperation of the Liberian population calls for immediate action.

“We strongly appeal to the international community to proceed without any further delay with the deployment of the stabilisation force. We welcome the decision by ECOWAS to deploy West African troops to Liberia.  We have agreed to work with ECOWAS to strengthen the capacity of their Child Protection Unit, including by seconding child protection advisers to work with the stabilisation mission proposed for Liberia.

“We cannot afford to wait one more day. The humanitarian community must obtain immediately unrestricted access to all parts of the country, 70 percent of which has been cut off from humanitarian assistance for several months. Negotiations are underway for humanitarian corridors and for cross border operations to allow us to reach the affected population throughout the Liberian territory.

“A key priority is the release of abductees, including forcibly recruited child soldiers. It is estimated that one out of every ten Liberian children may have been recruited at some time into the war effort both in Liberia and in neighbouring countries, contributing to the culture of violence that we are witnessing in the region.

“Besides forced recruitment into the armed groups, Liberian children and youth have suffered all forms of atrocities, sexual violence, disruption of schooling and forced displacement. Impunity for violations of children’s rights must stop and children must be afforded protection, as is their legitimate right under international norms and standards.

“In the context of the Liberian peace negotiations underway in Accra, we appeal to the parties to ensure that the protection and rehabilitation of children is given priority in the talks and in the Accords.

***

For further information, please contact:

Margherita Amodeo, UNICEF Media, Dakar, Senegal
+221 869 58 42 or +221 569 19 26

Damien Personnaz, UNICEF Media, Geneva, Tel (+41) 22 909 5517

Gordon Weiss, UNICEF Media, New York,  Tel  (212) 326-7426

Jean Victor Nkolo, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
New York, Tel.: +1-212-9639879;  Mob: +1-917-3788464

Bangkok, 30 October - Noting that up to one quarter of the world’s estimated 300,000 child soldiers are currently serving in the East Asia and Pacific region, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Wednesday called for new and concerted efforts to demobilize them and assist their reintegration into society.

In launching the results of a new study on child soldiers, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said that the use of children as soldiers by government and non-state armies should be recognized “as an illegal and morally reprehensible practice that has no place in civilized societies”.

The UNICEF study, Adult Wars, Child Soldiers: Voices of Children Involved in Armed Conflict in the East Asia and Pacific Region, says that in addition to the large number of children still serving in armed groups in the region, there are many more former child soldiers in countries no longer facing conflict.

Bellamy said Adult Wars, Child Soldiers and other research carried out in recent years in East Asia “has clearly shown that thousands of children are still being recruited - often by force - into state- and non-state armies in the region. It is time for all parties to recognize this and to work together with UNICEF and other organizations that stand ready to help bring an end to this profound abuse of children’s rights.”

Based on interviews with 69 current and former child combatants from six countries (Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines), Adult Wars, Child Soldiers provides often moving first-hand accounts of their experiences.

” The voices of these children constitute a cry for help on behalf of all child soldiers, a cry that we cannot afford to ignore.” Bellamy said. “They provide compelling evidence on why children must not be allowed to become combatants and why every effort needs to be made to ensure that those still serving are demobilized and reintegrated into society.”

The study calls for the systematic demobilization of all child soldiers; provision of support for their reintegration, with an emphasis on access to education and vocational training; and strengthening the capacity for provision of appropriate psycho-social care and support for former combatants.

The children and young people interviewed for the study reported numerous abuses, including brutal training regimens, hard labour and severe punishments while serving in armed groups. Some said they had been forced to witness or commit atrocities, including rape and murder, while others spoke of seeing friends and family killed.

Nearly all of the 69 children interviewed were given weapons and served in an armed group as combatants. Thirty of those interviewed provided details about the type of fighting they had been involved in, while 14 said they had fought in so many battles they could “not remember” the exact number.

The average recruitment age of those interviewed was 13 years, while the youngest soldier interviewed was forcibly recruited at the age of 7. The1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) set the legal minimum age for recruitment at 15, while an Optional Protocol to the CRC on armed conflict outlaws the involvement of children under age 18 in any hostilities and sets strict standards for the recruitment for those under 18.

But in order to be legally bound by the Optional Protocol, which entered into forcer in February 2002, countries need first to ratify it. In East Asia and Pacific, only the Philippines and Viet Nam have done so to date (Cambodia and Mongolia are in the process of ratifying).

Bellamy said ratifying the Optional Protocol “is a crucial first step to ending the recruitment of children for armed combat and their use as soldiers. UNICEF appeals to every country in this region and in the world to make ratification and implementation of this protocol a national priority.”

The study said many children reported psycho-social disturbances, such as bad dreams and nightmares, both during their involvement with armed groups and after their return to civilian life. In some cases, the nightmares have recurred for years.

“I have seen several people killed in battles with Khmer Rouge soldiers,” said Visna, who was recruited when he was 12. “I remember the terror that grabbed me from out of the jungle when I could not see the enemy but could hear their voices. That fear sometimes visits me when I sleep at night.”

The study noted that little is currently being done in the East Asia and Pacific region to address the psycho-social needs of such children, even in post-conflict situations.

“Successful disarmament and demobilization programmes serve to take the guns out of their hands, but we still be failing these children if do not find ways to reunite them with their families and communities and provide for their psycho-social care and recovery,” Bellamy said.

The study also recommends:

• Ratification of the Optional Protocol on Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and other legal instruments relevant to the protection of children in armed conflict
• Ensuring that national legislation is compatible with international standards;
• Providing child rights, child protection and gender training for government military and non-state actors;
• Identifying and promoting alternative non-violent ways for boys and girls to contribute meaningfully to the cause of their people and communities.
• Developing prevention strategies to reduce the factors that make children vulnerable to “voluntary” recruitment.
• Ensuring participation of children affected by armed conflict, including child soldiers, in all research, advocacy and programme planning activities.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Thomas, UNICEF EAPRO,
Office: (66 2) 356 9407
Home: (66 2) 661 5335
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COLUMBO/GENEVA, 3 October 2003 - The first of three transit centres for child soldiers released from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was opened today in a ceremony attended by senior LTTE figures, high-level officials of the Government of Sri Lanka, Save the Children and UNICEF.  The ceremony marks the first stage of a complex programme aimed at releasing children from the LTTE and bringing them back to their families, implemented under the Action Plan approved by the Government and LTTE in August 2003. Forty-nine former child soldiers (27 girls and 22 boys) have been placed in the transit centre in Kilinochchi in the severely war-affected north east of the island. Two other centres, in Batticaloa and Trincomalee, will be opened in the coming months.

“This is a big day for the children who have been amongst the people at most risk during the conflict,” said UNICEF Representative Ted Chaiban in Sri Lanka. “But there are still cases of recruitment and it has to be understood that if the reintegration of child soldiers is to be successful, then new recruitment of children has to stop. With the implementation of the Action Plan, we need to see an end to child soldiers in Sri Lanka.”

The transit centres are intended to be a collection point in the first instance where the needs of children can be assessed in a non-military environment before they are returned to their families. Speaking at the opening, Mr. Chaiban stated that the maximum period a child can stay in the centre is three months. “However, it is expected most children will be returned to their families within a shorter period.” The centres are one component of an action plan for war-affected children in the north and east of Sri Lanka. The LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka, during the fifth round of peace talks in Berlin in February, requested UNICEF to play a substantial role in establishing shared programmes to address the needs of up to 50,000 children affected by war.

The transit centres are a key stage in the process to release children in the LTTE, agreed as part of the Action Plan. The centres will be jointly managed by UNICEF and the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation. UNICEF staff will be present in all the centres on a 24-hour basis for the duration of the project. “We know from experience in many other conflicts that a lot of the children will emerge from the ranks with many difficult issues, both emotional and physical,” said Dr. Sadig Rasheed, UNICEF’s Regional Director for South Asia, who was present at the opening.

He added, “This is the place where we can start to remove the soldiers and try to restore their childhood. But the real rehabilitation can only take place in the context of a family and a real home. It is important to get the children into the family environment as soon as we have an understanding of their future needs and their family circumstances. In the meantime, these centres will be secure places where the children will be able to meet their parents, prepare for their return home and receive medical treatment as needed.”

After the children leave the transit centre and return to their families, their progress is followed up by Save the Children social workers. This is when the real work begins. With the support of the Government of Sri Lanka, children will be given classes to help them catch up on missed schooling, and access to psychosocial and health care. The Save the Children social workers will ensure that the children and their families have access to vocational training with the support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and microcredit facilities with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

For the past 30 years, UNICEF has been working closely with the Government, NGOs, civil society and non-state actors in Sri Lanka, to bring about a positive change and improve conditions for the most vulnerable children and women in the country. UNICEF support includes ensuring every child gets the best start in life through immunisation and other services, that every child has access to quality schooling and all children are protected from abuse. UNICEF also responds to emergencies such as the floods in the south. UNICEF will continue to work so that every child is given the opportunity to develop to his or her maximum potential.

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Epstein, UNICEF
Tel: 01-2555270 Ext. 244, or 0777416739

Gordon Weiss, UNICEF
Tel: 1-212-326-7426, gweiss@unicef.org