"Child Soldiering"- The most abominable crime of the day

Sri Lankan Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam, Permanent Representative to the United Nations denounced the Child soldering as the most abominable crime in the present world.

He made this special comment at the United Nations Security Council yesterday (Monday the 24th July), as the Council met in New York to hold an open debate on children and armed conflict.

The Ambassador explained that it was the responsibility of each State and, indeed, the entire international community to protect and promote the welfare of children and ensure they did not fall victim to abuse in any way. The fate of innocent children caught in armed conflict was one of the most serious concerns facing the international community, and recruitment or forced conscription of children by armed groups stood as one of the most abominable crimes of the day.

He also pointed out that States, which had the responsibility to protect children whether in times of peace or conflict, had their human rights records reviewed periodically by international organizations and monitoring bodies. It was not, therefore, necessary for the Council's working group to focus on non-State actors and those who were not bound by, nor had any respect for, international treaties and norms. That would help ensure that States were not burdened with multiple reporting responsibilities, and that non-State actors would be brought under a punitive regime.

Revealing the tragic circumstances faced by the Tamil children living in war toned areas in Sri Lanka, he said that, for the past 20 years, detestable crimes had been committed by the Tamil Tigers against young children, particularly Tamil children, living in the north and east. It was no secrete that the situation had scarcely improved -- a fact well-documented by UNICEF, which had taken the lead in bringing the sad situation to the public's attention -- as many of those children were still being forcibly conscripted for battle against the Sri Lankan army and civilians. He said that some had even been "programmed" to be suicide bombers. As an affected country, Sri Lanka would urge the international community to take swift and decisive action to end the impunity enjoyed by non-State actors who continued to abuse children. "Let us not fail in our responsibility to ensure a safe and secure world for our children," he said.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Radhika Coomaraswamy , Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict revealed that Tens of thousands of girls were subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence. Abduction of children was becoming more systematic and widespread. Since 2003, more than 14 million had been forcibly displaced within and outside their home countries, and between 8,000 and 10,000 had been killed or maimed each year by landmines.