SRI LANKA : Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict.

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SRSG Coomaraswamy.

25 June 2009.

Recommendations:

Reaffirming that the reporting period of the present report is from 15 September 2007 to 31 January 2009:

(a) The Government of Sri Lanka was urged to take all possible measures to avoid further killing and maiming of civilians, in particular children, during its military operations against LTTE and to facilitate the free passage of the civilians, as well as children associated with the LTTE forces, still trapped in the areas under LTTE control;

(b) The Government of Sri Lanka was urged to facilitate access of humanitarian actors and the delivery of assistance to internally displaced persons, including the many children, who were still in the Vanni under LTTE control as well as to all internally displaced persons coming out of the Vanni to Government-controlled areas;

(c) LTTE was requested to immediately release all children and their caregivers, including children associated with its forces, from the conflict zone and allow them to move to safety;

(d) LTTE was called upon to cease all attacks on civilians and suicide bombings, which have killed and maimed children and created an insecure environment for all civilians;

(e) LTTE was requested to immediately cease all recruitment and re-recruitment of children under 18 years of age and to release those recruited to their ranks, taking urgent steps to review its previous commitments in line with accepted standards for action plans in line with Security Council resolutions 1539 (2004) and 1612 (2005).

In line with recent developments:

(a) The Government of Sri Lanka is urged to build on the progress achieved to date, with the support of the United Nations and other parties, and to ensure that children are not recruited from areas it controls and that all children released by armed groups have access to care, protection and reintegration programmes, including other appropriate assistance to those recruited as children who are now over 18 years of age. In particular, the Government should ensure that the identification, release, and rehabilitation of all children leaving armed groups and their successful reintegration into the communities is given priority and implemented in accordance with international standards. Moreover, special services, such as psychosocial support, should also be provided to those children;

(b) The Government of Sri Lanka is urged to facilitate access of humanitarian actors and the delivery of assistance to internally displaced persons, including to ensure the relevant care and protection for children separated from their families, and to address the high rates of malnutrition among internally displaced children;

(c) The Government of Sri Lanka is urged to ensure effective implementation of its “zero tolerance” position on child recruitment, including systematic and vigorous investigations for every reported case, followed by prosecutions and convictions of responsible perpetrators. The Government should complete the investigation undertaken by the inter-ministerial committee on the complicity between the security forces and TMVP in the abduction and recruitment of children. The report should be provided to the Security Council working group;

(d) Although progress has been made in implementing the TMVP action plan, important steps need to be taken to fulfil all requirements. TMVP should fully comply and implement the time-bound action plan signed on 1 December 2008 to release all children in its ranks and cease all child recruitment;

(e) In the longer term, concerns related to accountability for grave violations against children and transitional justice issues must be addressed through appropriate mechanisms. (paragraphs 57 and 58)

pdf: http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/351/86/PDF/N0935186.pdf?O...

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