According to a Human Rights Watch article last week, children continue to be abducted in Sri Lanka by the pro-government Karuna group. Not only that but the recruitment of children is also conducted by another group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) who turn the children into armed soldiers. As much as 200 cases of abduction have been reported by UNICEF but these numbers are the minimum; the actual numbers could easily be more because parents are afraid to report their missing children. About a dozen children were released by the Karuna group in December, according to the article, but UNICEF reported that at least three of these children were re-recruited.
The children are being abducted from camps for the internally displaced as well as in broad daylight in the city. The abducted children are being trained to carry arms, to fight, to be soldiers. Children are being used in the frontlines, even girls. The government is doing little to acknowledge this as a human rights violation and has not taken any effective action to put a stop to these abductions. Government patrols do nothing even when they pass by children with arms guarding various Karuna offices.
This is a serious violation of children's rights. See the Human Rights Watch website for more details and other related articles.
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