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SRI LANKAN CHILDREN IN CRISIS

Underage Recruitment Continues As More Children Drop
Out of School

Statement Attributable to Carol Bellamy, Executive Director
of UNICEF

Recent
press releases and statements on child
soldiers

GENEVA
/ NEW YORK, 20 July 2001 - The United Nations Children's Fund today urges
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to live up to its commitment
not to recruit children into its ranks, and urges the Government of Sri
Lanka to ease restrictions on humanitarian activity and address the
critical shortage of teachers in conflict-affected areas.

In Sri Lanka, one of the world's longest running armed conflicts
continues to cause immense suffering and violations of children's rights.
After 18 years of continuous strife, a generation of young people across
the country has been robbed of a normal childhood. And tragically,
conditions for children are worsening.

During a visit to Sri Lanka in 1998, the Secretary-General's Special
Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, obtained
assurances from both the Government and the LTTE that gave hope for an
improvement in the situation of children. In the ensuing three years,
despite occasional positive signs, the overall situation of children has
continued to deteriorate.

More on
Children in
War

Recruitment Goes On

One of the most serious violations of children's rights in Sri Lanka is
the continued recruitment of children by the LTTE, despite its promises to
end this practice. In the years since Mr Otunnu's visit, the UN has
observed increasing recruitment activity in and near schools and has
received an increasing number of complaints from parents. Recent reports
indicate some children are recruited even as young as 12. The UN has
intervened with the LTTE several times, but so far with little result.

On a visit to northern Sri Lanka in February 2001, UNICEF Deputy
Executive Director Andre Roberfroid met senior representatives of the LTTE
to express the UN's growing concerns. The LTTE confirmed its earlier
commitments and agreed to implement additional measures proposed by the
UN, which included widely publicising the minimum age for recruitment, not
conducting any recruitment in or near schools, investigating all reported
cases of children who have been recruited, and releasing those under the
age of 17 years. The LTTE also undertook to allow the UN to systematically
monitor compliance with these measures, including access to school
attendance records by UNICEF and UNHCR staff to identify absent children.

Children Dropping Out

A second problem highlighted by Mr. Roberfroid was the increasing
number of children dropping out of school. This is largely due to an acute
shortage of trained teachers (resulting in an excessive reliance on
untrained volunteer teachers) and the need for children to help their
parents supplement family income. Even more worrying is the growing
disillusion with education as a way to a better future.

Basic education is the right of every child, and also a deterrent to
child recruitment. UNICEF therefore obtained agreement from the LTTE not
to obstruct a nationwide Government campaign, supported by UNICEF, to
identify children out of school and to help communities find local
solutions to get them back to the classroom. Under this programme, where
there is a possibility that a missing child might have been recruited, the
UN asks the LTTE to investigate and, if true, to release the child. UNICEF
has offered to provide additional resources for schools and for upgrading
the skills of volunteer teachers if the LTTE follows through on these
commitments.

During his February visit, Mr. Roberfroid also appealed to the
Government to streamline humanitarian access so that child-related
activities can take place in LTTE-controlled areas as they do in all other
areas of the country. He also urged the Government to provide training for
volunteer teachers and recognise their work, and to facilitate the work
and security of UN staff in these areas. UNICEF has also been urging the
Government to vacate schools currently occupied by its security forces.

All Parties Must Act

Despite one or two encouraging signs, there has been little
demonstrable progress on any of these problems, and UNICEF calls for a
much more vigorous and transparent response than has been shown thus far.

Specifically, UNICEF calls on the LTTE to adhere to all commitments
made concerning recruitment, and to go even further by adhering to the
Optional Protocol to the CRC that prohibits recruitment under the age of
18 years. UNICEF calls on the Government to take urgent steps to
liberalise the current constraints to humanitarian access, to resolve the
acute teacher shortage in the areas worst affected by the conflict and to
remove military presence from schools. UNICEF also urges all Sri Lankans
abroad who have influence on the situation in their country of origin to
express their support for all measures to eradicate the twin issues of
recruitment and school drop-out.

Replace Despair with Hope

Being recruited and dropping out of school are just two of the many
ways children are affected by Sri Lanka's protracted conflict. Growing up
displaced and in a heavily militarised environment both lead to
psychological stress, family break-up, despair, alcoholism, violence and
suicides. Lack of economic opportunities renders families dependent on
handouts barely adequate for survival, undermining dignity and
self-respect, and causing further harm to children. In such an
environment, no child can develop to his or her full potential.

An overwhelming majority of Sri Lankans, especially children, want
peace. Their hopes have been dashed by the recent stalling of peace
initiatives facilitated by Norway, and the resumption of fighting. UNICEF
calls on all parties to renew and re-double their efforts to find peace,
the most precious right of every child in Sri Lanka.

* * *

For further information, please contact:

Alfred
Ironside, UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326-7261
Colin Glennie, UNICEF
Representative, Sri Lanka (94-1) 589-776

People who care about the abuse and exploitation of children
can make their voices count by logging on to http://www.gmfc.org/ and voting for
the top three priorities for children around the world. Millions
have already taken part. The total count will be presented to world
leaders at the UN Special Session on Children, sending the message
that the world's citizens care about children and expect governments
to keep the promises they make to them.

***

UNICEF urges
demobilization/reintergration of child soldiers Tues. 29
Oct.
UNICEF
negotiates with LTTE for recruited children Thurs.20
June
UNICEF calls for
release of child soldiers by LRA Tues. 5 Mar
UNICEF hails new treaty
banning child soldiers Tues. 12 Feb. 2002

2001

Ex-child soldier
addresses Security Council Tues., 20 Nov
UN leaders hail new step
banning children as soldiers Tues.20 Nov
Five months later, child
soldiers go home to Sudan, Wed., 29
August
Ex-child soldiers begin
new lives in Rwanda Mon, 20 August
Sri Lankan children still
recruited for wars Friday, 20 July
Sierra Leone
releases 150 more child soldiers Monday, 4
June
Côte d'Ivoire
intercepts child soldiers from Burkina Faso June

In Angola
children released, but worry persists Sat, 26 May

Hundreds of
child soldiers freed in Sierra Leone Friday, 25 May
20
In Angola, a call
for release of 60 abducted children Tues., 8 May
UNICEF renews aid for
children in Sierra Leone Thurs , 19 April
Carol Bellamy on the
airlift of child soldiers in Sudan Tues, 27 Feb

2,500
demobilized child soldiers out of Sudan Tuesday, 27
Feb
UNICEF finds 163
Congolese child soldiers in Uganda Tuesday, 20
Feb
UNICEF assesses Congolese
child soldiers in Uganda Wed, 14 Feb
UNICEF applauds agreement
with Uganda on child soldiers Fri, 9 Feb
Children in armed
conflict to the Panel on Optional Protocol Wed., 31
Jan
Security council
debates issue of children in war Wed, 26
July
Angola:
Call for immediate release of 21 abducted children Fri,
14 July

2000

Sudan
rebels give UNICEF a guarantee on child soldiers, Oct
24
Bellamy in
Winnipeg on war-effected children Wed, 13
Sept
Graça
Michel calls for an end to impunity against war crimes Wed., 13 Sept
UNICEF hails new Security
Council decision on children and war Fri, 11 Aug
Bellamy to Security
Council on protection of children in conflict Wed, 26 July
Hague Appeal for Peace: Children as catalysts for
peace Wed., 12
May

1999

To the Humanitarian Issues Working Group: the catastrophe in
Kosovo Tues. 6 Apr
To the
Security Council: A peace and security agenda for children
Fri., 12 Feb

Due to the sad events in New York in September, the UN General
Assembly has decided to postpone the Special Session On children. For
further information, visit: www.unicef.org/specialsession

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