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| Sunday, 18 April 2004 |
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Security |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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UNICEF Action Plan for child soldiers by Shanika Sriyananda The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) with several other Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have worked out welfare programs for LTTE child soldiers who have returned home in the East. Hundreds of child soldiers, were released by the Eastern region LTTE command on the Sinhala and Tamil New Year Day, April 13, in Vakarai and the UNICEF is now in the process of compiling data. Geoff Keele, UNICEF Communication Officer told the 'Sunday Observer' that the 'Catch-up Education' program, a mobile health clinic, a counselling program and vocational training programs are on to reintegrate these children to the society. "The education of some child soldiers have been completely disrupted and for years they grew up in an environment, where their rights to live as children were denied", he said. "The UNICEF implemented the 'Action Plan for Children Affected By War', signed by the Government and the LTTE to end child recruitment, designed several programs for the benefit of these children and their families. Under the Action Plan we continue to help these children to catch-up on their missed schooling", he said. According to Keele, older LTTE child soldiers who are in need of developing their skills will be given vocational training. "Under this programs these children can sharpen their skills to start their own business to support their families", he added. Child soldiers will be sent to a phycological and health care programs with the help of the Save the Children Fund. The social workers will be given counselling to these children and their families. The other organisations the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Ministry of Social Welfare, the Tamil Rehabilitation Program, United Nations Development Program and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR), that are working in the North and East to end recruiting child soldiers, with UNICEF to make these children to reunite with their families. However, according to Keele, the UNICEF is yet to ascertain the exact number of child soldiers that was released by the LTTE last week. " We need at least few weeks to collect data on these children. Most of them have gone home without registering themselves with UNICEF. So, we are now in the process of collecting their names and addresses", he said. Meanwhile, the UNICEF requests the parents of children, who returned homes to contact the UNICEF to plan the welfare programs for them. However, the UNICEF officials believe that the LTTE in the North would also release more child soldiers in future. |
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