The Hindu Business Line : Smoking guns: Helpless victims

Child-soldiers in the LTTE cadre... Unicef's action plan for 2003 says that despite the two-year-old ceasefire, many children are still suffering the effects of Sri Lanka's 20-year-long civil war.

THE issues relating to child soldiers and children of war continue to dog the world. In Sri Lanka, it takes on the form of recruitment of children by the Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to fight its separatist battles against the government of Sri Lanka.

Just last week, Unicef highlighted the death of two under-age combatants in rebel factional fighting. The LTTE responded a day later by releasing 40 children.

Yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Unicef's action plan for 2003, a kind of action taken report, highlights the fact that in spite of the two-year-old ceasefire, there are still many children suffering the effects of 20 years of civil war. It concedes that a start has been made, but much more needs to be done to rehabilitate the people and the children affected by this war.

An estimated 60,000 people have died during the 20 years, while another 800,000 people were displaced, one-third of them children. Many of these children have been displaced not once but several times over.

Further, of the 2.5 million people living directly in the war zone, one million are under 18. In the LTTE-controlled areas of the north, one-third of school-going children have dropped out or have never attended school.

Based on the feedback from families, Unicef estimates that at least 1,301 children continue to be in LTTE camps as part of its cadre. Even in 2003, 709 children were recruited by the LTTE. The recruitment had peaked in August-October 2003, resulting in the 304 children joining the ranks, though the enrolment had fallen to 17 and 14 respectively during November and December.

Simultaneously, the LTTE also released 202 children during the same period as part of its agreement to subscribe to the terms of the action plan. These children were either released to the recently-established transit centres at Kilinochchi or sent back directly to their families. The children were joining the movement because of acute poverty, unsuitable conditions in their respective homes and the glamour surrounding participation in a rebel cause.

Unicef estimates that 50,000 children in the affected region are currently 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. At a rough guess, more than 5,800 additional Tamil medium and 200 Sinhala (the Sri Lankan language) medium teachers are immediately needed to man these schools.

Further, though the cease-fire has resulted in the initiation of the peace process, the return of the refugees and the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) is spawning its own set of problems.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the number of refugees returning from India alone in 2003 was 6000. The number of IDPs returning home (that is from other parts of Sri lanka to the North and East) is an estimated 183,000. This is causing a lot of movement of people in Sri Lanka, particularly in the North and East.

These people are moving back to areas that could still have live landmines and unexploded ordinance. They are also returning to towns and villages, which had been destroyed by the 20-year civil war. Hence, these areas lack basic infrastructure, such as shelter, water and sanitation, education and health facilities, including lack of health professionals and medical supplies.

There are fears that communicable and infectious diseases would increase with the return of the IDPs. It also estimates that the risk of HIV/AIDS would increase with the return of refugees from India. Chronic malnutrition among women and children is high in parts of Sri Lanka, but it is worse among returning IDPs.

Today, if one looks at the state of affairs, it is clear that 2003 was a landmark year from the perspective of the children of war.

A formal mechanism was put in place to address the immediate needs of children affected by war, including children released from the LTTE. Also, the government put in place a formal mechanism for assisting the release and reintegration of child soldiers.

Further, the year saw `catch up' education programmes reaching 23,500 children, over 244 school buildings being refurbished and the Sri Lankan government launching teacher recruitment drive to address staff shortages. The ILO stepped in to establish vocational training centres and the UNDP put in place systems for micro-credit schemes.

The Sri Lankan Ministry of Social Welfare expanded its capacity on probation and child-care. Save the Children provided social work support and follow up reporting on former child soldiers, which was essential to ensure reintegration and rehabilitation with their families and communities.

The TRO or the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation was working on specific categories of vulnerable children such as street children.

Still, this is just the beginning. Undoubtedly, the Sri Lankan government has to intensify its efforts in creating basic infrastructure in the strife torn areas.

The other UN agencies and NGOs too have to accelerate the implementation of their programmes. But most of all, the LTTE must stop recruiting children.

Also, it must release the child soldiers already in its ranks. Otherwise, the massive efforts being made to rehabilitate the children of war by the island nation would be wasted.

(The author, a freelance writer, can be contacted at jayanthiiyengar1@yahoo.com)