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Summary: As part of a counter-insurgency programme in the Philippines, members of the Armed Forces target children suspected of being soldiers.
[4 April 2011] - Last week marked the fourth death anniversary of Grecil Buya, a nine-year old victim of strafing by the military in New Bataan town in Davao City. After four years, children’s rights advocates lamented that justice has been elusive for her and other children who were falsely accused as child soldiers. “The case of Grecil Buya is just one of the many cases of continuing abuse targeting children, said Edessa Campos, Advocacy Officer of the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC). “Unfortunately, the perpetrators remain unpunished and the military’s habit of misrepresenting children as “child soldiers” for their counter-insurgency operations remains unchecked,” said Campos. Grecil was the 9-year old child killed by the military’s 67th Infantry Battalion in an encounter with the New People’s Army in New Bataan Compostela Valley. The military claimed that Grecil was an NPA child soldier and that she was carrying an M-16 rifle and firing at them. But based on the frail body structure of the diminutive Grecil, it turned out that it was physically impossible for her to have carried an M-16 rifle and fired it. Documents also confirmed that Grecil was a studious grade two student of Simsimen Elementary School. As of 2010 the CRC has documented 19 cases of children who were mislabelled by the military as “child soldiers” from Mindanao. Campos said “The misrepresentation of children as ‘child soldiers’ is a clear violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).” Last year, the CRC handled the case of “Amanda”, a minor at the time. The soldiers from the 84th Infantry Battalion under 10th Infantry Division presented Amanda to the media as a “child soldier” last September. “Amanda” was supposedly included in the top three list of “child soldiers” in the Philippines. But CRC proved these allegations were wrong, Campos said. “We urge the Aquino government to have concrete and sustainable programme for children affected by armed conflict and, in general, to protect the basic rights of children,” Campos said. Further Information:
Owner: Marya Salamatpdf: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/04/04/soldiers-still-target-children/