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| Sunday, 5 October 2003 |
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Transit centres for LTTE child soldiers opened by Neomi Kodikara The first of three transit centres for child soldiers released from the LTTE was opened at Kilinochchi, with the enrolment of 49 former child soldiers, last Friday. The opening of the transit centre, 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. Two other centres, in Batticaloa and Trincomalee, will be opened in the near future. The Government and the LTTE in 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 upto 50,000 children affected by war. Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka, stressed that if the reintegration of child soldiers is to be successful, new recruitment of children has to stop, admitting that there are still cases of recruitment reported as at the end of September, this year, UNICEF has received 1,683 reports of children who have been recruited by the LTTE. Underage recruits numbering 385 have been released while 1,155 children from the UNICEF list of reported cases remain with the LTTE. The transit centres which can house 150 children each, are intended to be collection points in the first instances where the needs of children can be assessed in a non-military environment before they are returned to their families within a shorter period. The centres will be jointly managed by UNICEF and the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation. "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," Dr. Sadig Rasheed, UNICEF's Regional Director said. He identified the project as a place where the soldier in a child can be removed and restored to 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," he further said. The centre with ten dormitories, will be a secure place for the 49 children - 27 girls and 22 boys - to meet their parents, prepare for their return home and receive medical treatment as needed. They will also have access to classes to catch up on missed schooling. A child will not be at the transit centre for more than three months. UNICEF has employed two international staff and five national staff to manage the transit centre. The approximate cost to set up and run a transit centre for one year is 244,000 US dollars. |
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