Lanka's UN envoy calls for punitive action against child recruitment

Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam last week called for punitive action against the LTTE for continuing with the conscription of children as combatants. Speaking at the Security Council debate on children and Armed Conflict last week, Ambassador Kariyawasam said that "Ever since it was discovered that the armed group, the LTTE, is engaged in recruiting and using children in battle, Sri Lanka has not only voiced concern but has also taken every possible action to persuade the LTTE to cease this deplorable practice.

"Despite international condemnation, the LTTE continues to disobey and disregard its commitments to demobilise children and cease recruitment of children. Therefore, the time has come for the Security Council to seriously consider targeted punitive action against repeated offenders like the LTTE," he added.

The LTTE has been designated as a terrorist group by many States including the European Union, and has been identified continuously for several years in Reports of the Secretary-General, as a recruiter of children for armed conflict.

In his statement Ambassador Kariyawasam recalled that "Sri Lanka as a party to all seven core UN human rights conventions and several related protocols has taken legislative, executive, and judicial measures to promote the rights of children and their welfare.

The Government follows a cooperative approach with all United Nations human rights mechanisms and has accordingly subjected itself to constant scrutiny by treaty bodies and UN mechanisms. In addition Sri Lanka is committed to a policy of zero-tolerance on the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.

This policy had found constant reflection in our contributions to the work of several UN bodies on subjects ranging from human rights to disarmament and international terrorism to organised crime."

Ambassador Kariyawasam called "for greater dialogue between the Secretary-General and the concerned Member States in the preparation of programmes and policies with regard to children and armed conflict, and the involvement of concerned Member States in all processes and mechanisms for implementation of such programmes and policies."