New child soldier claims
2006-11-13 18:59
Colombo - A United Nations official on Monday accused Sri Lankan government forces of forcibly recruiting child soldiers on behalf of an allied paramilitary group also fighting Tamil Tiger rebels.
It is the first time the UN has made such a charge against Colombo.
The Tamil Tigers have long been under fire for using child soldiers in their three-decade separatist war.
The special advisor to the UN representative for children and armed conflict, Allan Rock, told reporters here that government soldiers rounded up young Tamil children to be recruited by the "Karuna" group.
Children rounded up
"Sri Lankan security forces rounded up children to be recruited by the Karuna faction," Rock said at the end of a 10-day mission to study the situation of children in the embattled island.
The Karuna faction is a Tamil Tiger breakaway group, which the main Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) accuses of aiding the military.
"It is increasingly clear that children are at risk from all sides," Rock said.
"Wherever I travelled, I saw with my own eyes that systems meant to safeguard children's rights are either deteriorating or absent," he said.
"It is apparent that there is an urgent need for an independent monitoring capacity to ensure that children affected by the conflict are protected."