Colombo meeting on child soldiers begins

Peace talks offer hope for thousands of child soldiers

By Frances Harrison BBC correspondent in Colombo

An international conference has started in Sri Lanka looking at children in armed conflict.

Nobody cares about us

A former child soldier

In the last decade alone the United Nations says, two million children have been killed in wars and more than a million orphaned.

One of the most controversial issues being discussed is the use of child soldiers, who are thought to number 300,000 globally.

In Sri Lanka there has been huge controversy surrounding child recruitment by the Tamil Tiger rebel group, who are now involved in peace negotiations.

Traditional Sri Lankan drummers and dancers began the event, adding some colour to a conference dealing with one of the ugliest sides of war.

Trauma

Children in war zones suffer from psychological trauma, malnutrition, poverty, lack of education and a whole host of crippling problems.

Global problem: Child soldier in Sierra Leone

But it is those who are induced or forced to take up arms who are perhaps the most removed from a normal childhood.

Rebel officials say they have sent home hundreds of underage recruits but the government has no plan yet for reintegrating those children back into society.

There is also concern about some rebel fighters, who, though they are now adults, may have been inducted into the military wing while still children.

One of the organisers of the conference is Elizabeth Jareg, from Save the Children Fund.

She explained why she felt aid agencies were not doing more to help former child soldiers in Sri Lanka.

"I think it's very difficult because there has to be a clear political agreement on demobilisation of children before aid agencies like Save the Children, for example, can do anything to assist the rehabilitation.

"Children have to be in control of civil society, before one can work for them in any meaningful way," she said.

Basic training

The Sri Lankan government does have a few rehabilitation centres for former child soldiers, some of them as young as 13, but they are desperately short of funds.

A mother wants to know where her children are

Counselling and skills training are also very basic.

In many cases it is poverty and social problems that drive children into the arms of the rebels and those issues are not addressed when the children are finally sent home.

Those who have been vehemently protesting for years against the Tamil Tigers' use of child soldiers have been slow to come forward to help children who are now being released.

As one 16-year-old former fighter put it: "Nobody cares about us."