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July 20, 2008
Child Soldiers
Assuming Dangerous Proportions
in Manipur
Imphal
Indian authorities in the restive northeastern Manipur state have
warned parents against letting their children venture out alone
after some 20 teenagers were recruited as child soldiers by
separatist groups, officials Sunday said.
"Instructions have been given to step up vigil and any children
found without being accompanied by their guardians would be
detained. These steps were being taken to thwart movement of
militants with kidnapped children," Manipur police chief Y. Joy
Kumar said.
In the past 45 days, at least 20 children in the age group of 10 to
16 went missing from various parts of the state although their
parents did not lodge any formal police complaints.
"Initially, we thought some human trafficking rackets or syndicates
operating for bonded labour were involved. But now it is certain
that these children were lured or kidnapped by various outlawed
militant groups," Radheshyam Singh, police chief of Imphal East
district, told IANS.
At least two militant groups, the People's Revolutionary Party of
Kangleipak (Prepak) and the Prepak Cobra Task Force, have claimed to
have recruited child soldiers although leaders of both the rebel
groups told the media that the kids joined their outfits
voluntarily.
Last week, two boys aged 10 and 13, were released by the Task Force
before journalists with both the kids telling the media they joined
the outfit on their own. The Task Force decided to release the two
children after mounting pressure from locals.
"This is a dangerous phenomenon of militants recruiting child
soldiers. The situation is alarming as there could be more than 20
boys and girls who could be in the clutches of underground groups,"
said Babloo Loitongbam, director of Human Rights Alert, a leading
rights group in Manipur.
Police are handicapped with no formal complaints lodged by parents
about missing children. "There could be more cases of children
recruited as child soldiers with parents failing to lodge a
complaint," Singh said.
For the past week, 45-year-old Muhila Devi, a resident of
Pishumthong near Manipur capital Imphal, has been shattered, crying
inconsolably and breaking into regular fits after her 14-year-old
daughter Surda went missing.
"She is a minor and anybody who is holding her captive, please
return her to me," a sobbing Devi said as she stared blankly at her
daughter's schoolbag.
Such is the fear that many parents have stopped sending their
children to school.
"For three days I did not send my son to school fearing something
unfortunate might happen. Now I take my son to school and wait
outside for the whole day until the end," Garima Devi, a housewife,
said.
There are 19-odd militant groups active in Manipur, bordering
Myanmar, with demands ranging from independence to greater autonomy
with an estimated 10,000 people killed in insurgency during the past
two decades.
There has been a wave of protests across the state with parents of
missing children staging demonstrations with placards asking
militant groups to release their kids.
"This is the first time in Manipur's history when we found the
militants recruiting child combatants. This is a dangerous trend,"
said Suripriya Devi, whose 13-year-old nephew is among those
believed to have been kidnapped by the militants.
IANS
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July 20, 2008
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