Maoists recruiting children against the Government
Mumbai. Maoists are recruiting children to for their various uses, New-York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has revealed. A report, released recently by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported that the Maoists organize children in the age group of 6 to 12 into children’s association (bal samgams), and indoctrinate, train, and use them as informers.
They use children to gather intelligence, for sentry duty, to make and plant landmines and bombs, and to engage in hostilities against government forces.
In a press statement, special representative of the secretary-general for children and armed conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy said, “In conflict, schools and hospitals must be zones of peace respected by all parties.”
For the first time, the UN report listed groups responsible for attacks on schools and hospitals in addition to those who recruit, kill and maim, or commit sexual violence.
The report said, “In 2011, incidents of attacks on schools by Maoist armed groups continued to be reported.”
It quoted the Union home ministry statistics which showed that Maoists destroyed 258 school buildings, mostly in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar, between 2006 and November, 2011. “Government statistics indicate that the number of attacks on school buildings has declined progressively since 2009,” the report said.
In a 2008 report “Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime”, the Human Rights Watch stated that children over the age of 12 are recruited and trained in the use of rifles, landmines, and improvised explosive devices.
