National 2 (Spotlight Weekly)

Alarming Trend

Human rights activists express grave concerns over the growing trend of using child soldiers in Nepal

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

With reports of abductions of hundreds of students by the Maoists for ideological indoctrination and military training coming up, rights activists and international organizations have expressed grave concern over the dangerous trend of inducting child soldiers in this conflict-torn Himalayan Kingdom.

Two weeks ago Kamal Shahi, central secretariat member of the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU-Revolutionary) – student wing of the Maoists – and convener of Bheri-Karnali Regional Coordination Committee told media that they are going to raise as much as 50,000 child militia by April/May this year. He said this decision to raise the child militia was taken on January 10-11 by the organizations’ western sub-central committee.

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Although activists termed this statement as over-inflated, they said that the issue of recruitment of child soldiers – a fact that has been consistently denied by the Maoist leadership – coming in the wake of incidents of mass abduction of young students cannot be ignored.

In the past couple of weeks, the Maoists have resorted to en masse abductions, particularly of young students of 6-10 grade (12-16 years of age on average) from schools in western parts of the country.

The Maoists have abducted hundreds of students and dozens of teachers from Holeri, in southern Rolpa district, and have taken them to unknown location. Witnesses said that a group of Maoists came to the place and forcibly asked students and teachers to go with them. Local people suspect that the Maoists have taken them away to engage them in their military campaign.

Likewise, a few weeks ago, the armed Maoists had announced that they would provide military training to students and teachers of Bal Udaya secondary school in Madichaur of Rolpa district. In addition, the rebels have enrolled 13 girls forcibly into their people’s army in Achham district. These thirteen girls – who are all below the age of 21 years – had been abducted recently from Bakune of Kuika VDC.

A recent statement by Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Sector (CWIN), a leading child rights NGO, stated that two dozens children have died in the last six months of conflict in the country. “In this period, around 950 children were abducted,” the CWIN statement adds. Most of the abducted students are allowed to return after a couple of weeks, during which they are compelled to receive ideological and, sometimes even, military training.

Alarmed by these developments, Suomi Sakai, the resident representative of the UNICEF in Nepal, has expressed sadness. Sakai has said that the attention of the UNICEF has been drawn by the news reports of frequent abductions (of children) by the Maoists against their repeated commitments that they are not recruiting children below the age of 18 years. “This is a very sensitive matter. Children must not be used in any forms in war,” she said. Sakai added that UNICEF will take initiatives to find out the facts about this issue.

Some rights organizations have been claiming that over 30 percent of the Maoists’ militia and army are below 18 years of age. They have also claimed that students who are abducted are being used as child soldiers.

But there is simply no way to authenticate these figures. “There are incidents of using children in different aspects of conflict. And the trend is getting dangerous,” said Krishna Pahadi, former chief of Nepal chapter of the International Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.

“There are credible evidences that children have been used as soldiers and also as messengers, cooks, porters and suppliers by the rebel groups,” said Dr. Gopal Krishna Shiwakoti, executive director of International Institute for Human Rights, Environment and Development (INHURED), a rights organization. “They are also being used as human shields. Since the Maoists have predominantly been using light weapons and small arms, young children, with very little training can handle them,” said Dr. Shiwakoti, who has also done research on the use of child soldiers in Nepal.

The Maoists say that they provide training (to students) for the sake of these students and children themselves. Generally, they say that they are protecting them as they are vulnerable group and future of the country. “Under the guise of protection, they exploit children,” said Dr. Shiwakoti.

In November 2003, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had presented a report for the General Assembly and Security Council, in which there was a list of 15 nations including Nepal where armed rebel forces were found to have used children and adolescents.

Likewise, in its recent briefing for the 4th UN Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict, the international coalition against child soldiers had stated, “There were reports of (Maoists) recruitment and use of children aged between 15 and 18, although the Maoist leadership denied this. Many children were reportedly abducted by the Maoists, including 518 children in January 2003. Most were released after a few days after having taken part in political indoctrination courses. Eighty children aged around 15 were reportedly abducted from Jan Jyoti school, Salyan district in Western Nepal in January. They said they had received training in “guerrilla warfare” before being released. Child recruits were reportedly used in some cases as fighters and human shields, as well as messengers and porters. Some underage girls reported sexual abuse while with the group.”

Raju Sarkar, director of Amnesty International –Nepal office also expressed alarm over the trend of using child soldiers in Nepal. “Though exact number or percentage of child soldiers is not known, it is a fact that they are being used,” he said. In its report titled Nepal: A deepening crisis released a year ago, Amnesty International stated, “Recruitment of children by the Maoists has been reported on a regular basis. AI was informed that in the areas under its control, the Maoists exercise a recruitment policy of ‘one family, one member’. Children, including girls, are deployed in combat situations, often to help provide ammunition or assist with evacuating or caring for the wounded. One 16-year-old boy from Dang district (of western Nepal) reported how in May 2002 he was forced to assist with carrying wounded Maoist combatants to India for treatment and how he and six others of the same age managed to run away. AI also obtained evidence of how children were trained in the use of arms. One 14-year-old girl explained how arms training took place during the night by torch light and how during the day, she and other children attended classes.”

The Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), a leading rights organization, has also done some studies regarding the use of child soldiers. “Although the Maoist leadership denies it, there have been events and incidents, which suggest otherwise,” said Yogesh Kharel of INSEC. The INSEC report cites an incident that occurred in November 2002. Buddhabir Thing, a 12-year-old boy had been arrested by security forces. He was found to have been involved in attacking police posts and looting banks. He had been booked under anti-terrorism law.

Krishna Gautam, also of INSEC, recalls how he saw children below 12 years of age excitingly working as messengers and guards in Rolpa district of mid-western Nepal. “These boys even had socket bombs (crude bombs) hung around their neck and they acted as messengers. They were also out of school,” he said.

According to the UNICEF, there are estimated over 300,000 children under the age of 18 currently being used in more than 30 conflicts worldwide. Both boys and girls are used by armed forces and armed groups as combatants, messengers, porters, cooks and for forced sexual services. Some are forcibly recruited or abducted, others are driven to join by poverty, abuse and discrimination, or to seek revenge for violence done to themselves and their families.

Rights activists and children organizations have called for demobilization of children from conflict and their proper rehabilitation. While the Nepalese government has set up separate centers to receive surrendering rebels, they have not made any efforts to take care of the special needs of children caught in conflict. The officials at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare say that they are planning to take initiatives to help such children. There are also reports that many young children had been taken under custody by government forces in connection of the insurgency