Number of names in the UNICEF June 2006 list -1387
On list, but previously released by LTTE - 54
Number over the age 21- 107
Number over the age 20 - 197
Number over the age of 19 - 247
Number over 18 - 285
Number over 17 - 207
Number under the age of 17 - 293
Children affected by war in the Northeast cry out for help by
joining the LTTE. By crying for help, these children are forcing
us to deal with their situation. UNICEF has been operating in
the Northeast for several decades, and their presence here and
their work are well known to the local population. Therefore,
one must reflect on the reasons why these children are not going
to UNICEF for help and turn instead to the LTTE for refuge. This
in spite of the fact that UNICEF has the largest child
protection team operating in this island compared to their
missions elsewhere in the world. One obvious explanation is that
UNICEF does not take on resource intensive responsibilities like
that of caring for children at risk. LTTE on the other hand has
extensive child welfare programs in the Northeast excelling any
available in the rest of the island.
The latest UNICEF list handed to the LTTE in June 2006 has 1387
names. There are several sources of error in the UNICEF list.
Firstly, many youths in the list are well above the age of 18.
Secondly, of these 1387 names, 53 are known to have been
released, although UNICEF has not removed them from their list.
In a previous UNICEF list, the LTTE has noticed several
triplicates and duplicates and pointed it out to UNICEF. Even
the latest UNICEF list has a few duplicate names. LTTE believes
that many names in the UNICEF list are outdated. Many names
could have entered the UNICEF list, for instance, without the
youth ever formally joining the LTTE.
In relation the last type of error in the UNICEF list, we would
like to draw attention to the small project LTTE carried out in
March 2005 in the Kokkadichcholai area of Batticaloa. Of the 80
odd names from Kokkadichcholai in the UNICEF list, 25 were
located living with their parents. That is a minimum 40% error
rate.
Bearing in mind the presence of many errors in the UNICEF list
one could still study the breakdown of the latest UNICEF list.
Given that more than 800 of the youths in the list are now over
the age of 18, UNICEF’s call for the release of these youths is
not based on any international human rights standards. It can
only be viewed as a desperate attempt to boost the numbers in
their list with the view to discredit the LTTE. When viewed
against the silence of the UNICEF in the face of horrendous
attacks on children by the GoSL operated forces, the above view
is further reinforced.
