{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Forced recruitment of child soldiers in eastern Sri Lanka' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c476d8eafeecae168f7a' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c476d8eafeecae168f7a' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nForced recruitment of child soldiers in eastern Sri Lanka\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eBatticoloa, Sri Lanka - 1 May, 2007  1. Wide of road with sign reading: \"Batticoloa\"  2. Close up of sign reading Batticoloa  3. Sri Lankan military barrier in road with sign reading: \"Stop\"   Eastern Sri Lanka - Recent4. Tilt down of...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eBatticoloa, Sri Lanka - 1 May, 2007  \u003cbr/\u003e1. Wide of road with sign reading: \"Batticoloa\"  \u003cbr/\u003e2. Close up of sign reading Batticoloa  \u003cbr/\u003e3. Sri Lankan military barrier in road with sign reading: \"Stop\"   \u003cbr/\u003eEastern Sri Lanka - Recent\u003cbr/\u003e4. Tilt down of back of unidentified woman's head  \u003cbr/\u003e5. SOUNDBITE: (Tamil) Marjula (not her real name), mother of child recruited by the Karuna faction:\u003cbr/\u003e\"My son ran away two days ago. We cannot handover the child to the TMVP because he is not willing to go there at all. Now he is in hiding, but my family and relatives are also in hiding. Karuna cadres are also looking for my son-in-law and two of my daughters who also got married. So they are threatening to take my relatives, so we're in a terrible situation.\"  \u003cbr/\u003e6. Cutaway of hands holding teacup \u003cbr/\u003e7. SOUNDBITE: (Tamil) Marjula (not her real name), mother of child recruited by the Karuna faction: \u003cbr/\u003e(Responding to reporter's question, not on tape/camera: We spoke to Karuna and they said that they don't take children forcibly, what do you say to that?)  \u003cbr/\u003e\"It's a total lie. They're forcibly recruiting children, and whenever international people are going to the camps they're trying to hide the underage children. They tell the children beforehand that if someone asks them (if they are child soldiers) they should state that they joined voluntarily.\"  \u003cbr/\u003eBatticoloa, Sri Lanka - 1 May, 2007  \u003cbr/\u003e8. Wide of Megarasa Nithaharan, former Karuna cadre, 15-years-old walking in street  \u003cbr/\u003e9. STILL shot of Karuna cadre  \u003cbr/\u003e10. Wide of Megarasa's house with mother walking  \u003cbr/\u003e11. SOUNDBITE: (Tamil) Megarasa Nithaharan, former Karuna cadre, 15-years-old: \u003cbr/\u003e \"For two years I was with TMVP, and UNICEF came and took me away from the TMVP office. They (UNICEF officials) came to the office and took me away.\"  \u003cbr/\u003e12. Mid shot of Megarasa Nithaharan's t-shirt  \u003cbr/\u003e13. Schoolchildren   \u003cbr/\u003eColombo - 29 April, 2007  \u003cbr/\u003e14. UNICEF spokesman, Gordon Weiss getting out of vehicle  \u003cbr/\u003e15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gordon Weiss, UNICEF spokesman:\u003cbr/\u003e\"We feel stalemated by the Karuna group at the moment. We've been negotiating for access to the camps for a long time. The purpose is to verify the recruitment of children, whether they're in the camps and how many there are. We have a list of about 195 children we believe are with the Karuna group at the moment, and we're not getting any cooperation from the Karuna faction.\" \u003cbr/\u003e16. Weiss walking into UNICEF offices   \u003cbr/\u003eColombo - 29 April, 2007  \u003cbr/\u003e17. Mid shot of sign reading: \"Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal\" (TMVP)  \u003cbr/\u003e18. Mid shot of S. (no first name given) Padhmini, TMVP Political Secretary  \u003cbr/\u003e19. Cutaway of Padhmini  \u003cbr/\u003e20. SOUNDBITE: (English) S. (no first name given) Padhmini, TMVP Political Secretary:  \u003cbr/\u003e\"Actually we don't have any need to recruit children, or to recruit cadres to our military wing because the purpose of our military wing is only for our self-defensive purpose, not to engage in military operations. The security of this country is up to the government and the security forces.\"  \u003cbr/\u003e21. Wide of TMVP offices, with Sri Lankan military providing protection to the office   \u003cbr/\u003eFILE SHOTS  Kilinochi - May 2004  \u003cbr/\u003e22. Close up of LTTE young female cadre on Malthi day, or uprising day\u003cbr/\u003e23. Mid shot of group of young female LTTE cadres  \u003cbr/\u003e24. Close up of face of young female, LTTE cadre, zoom out to group  \u003cbr/\u003eForcible recruitment of child soldiers in eastern Sri Lanka is happening on a regular basis despite promises from a group named by the United Nations that it is serious about halting such practices.\u003cbr/\u003eThe Karuna group split from the separatist Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam\u003cbr/\u003e(LTTE) in 2004 and now fights against them.\u003cbr/\u003eInternational aid agencies say the group and its political wing the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TVMP) is responsible for many of the child abductions in Batticaloa, 314 km from Colombo.\u003cbr/\u003eIn an interview with AP Television, on condition of anonymity due to fears for her life, one mother, Marjula (not her real name), said her 16-year old son was abducted by Karuna on his way home from school and was forced to become a child soldier.\u003cbr/\u003eAccording to Marjula, her son Rajan (not his real name) ran away from the Karuna camp.\u003cbr/\u003eShe said Karuna came and took three of her family members including a one year old baby and held them at a TMVP office. She says she exchanged herself for them and was held for eight days until her son returned to Karuna.\u003cbr/\u003eAfter running away a second time, Marjula and her family are now in hiding. \u003cbr/\u003eRajan has refused to return to Karuna.\u003cbr/\u003e\"Karuna cadres are also looking for my son-in-law and two of my daughters who also got married. So they are threatening to take my relatives, so we're in a terrible situation,\" she told AP Television.\u003cbr/\u003eShe said she and her family have received death threats if Rajan does not return.\u003cbr/\u003e\"They're forcibly recruiting children, and whenever international people are going to the camps they're trying to hide the underage children. They tell the children beforehand that if someone asks them (if they are child\u003cbr/\u003esoldiers) they should state that they joined voluntarily,\" Marjula said.\u003cbr/\u003eThe TMVP says it no longer uses child soldiers for its military operations.\u003cbr/\u003eIt released 14 children to UNICEF in February.\u003cbr/\u003eOn the outskirts of Batticaloa, Megarasa Nithaharan says he was 13 years old when he and two friends volunteered to join Karuna which he said he did because he likes guns. The 15-year-old was released in February 2007 after his mother went to aid agencies to secure his release.\u003cbr/\u003e\"For two years I was with TMVP, and UNICEF came and took me away from the TMVP office. They (UNICEF officials) came to the office and took me away.\"\u003cbr/\u003eMegarasa says during his time at Karuna he did not receive weapons training and did not fight. He says he spent his time learning computer skills and now he no longer wants to be in Karuna, but wants to study.\u003cbr/\u003eUNICEF has accused the Karuna faction of not being serious about its commitments to release child soldiers.\u003cbr/\u003eThe UN believes that Karuna continues to hold more that 195 child soldiers.\u003cbr/\u003eOther organisations say the figure is higher due to under reporting.\u003cbr/\u003eSpokesman for UNICEF, Gordon Weiss says that negotiations with Karuna to continue the release of these children have come to a standstill.\u003cbr/\u003e\"We feel stalemated by the Karuna group at the moment, we've been negotiating for access to the camps for a long time, the purpose is to verify the recruitment of children, whether they're in the camps and how many there are. We have a list of about 195 children we believe are with the Karuna group at the moment, and we're not getting any cooperation from the Karuna faction,\" Weiss said.\u003cbr/\u003eIn an interview with AP Television, TMVP Political Secretary S. Padhmini denied that the group recruited children saying the group's aims were political.\u003cbr/\u003e\"We don't have any need recruit children, or to recruit cadres to our military wing because the purpose of our military wing is only for our self-defensive purpose, not to engage in military operations. The security of this country is up to the government and the security forces,\" Padhmini said.\u003cbr/\u003eMany TMVP offices in Batticaloa are located near to Sri Lankan military bases.\u003cbr/\u003eEarlier this year the United Nations special envoy for children in armed conflict criticised the relationship between the government and the Karuna faction.\u003cbr/\u003eWhile both groups repeatedly deny any link, many civilians and rights groups say the government and Karuna are now allied in their fight against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).\u003cbr/\u003eAid agencies say Karuna is not the only group associated with the forcible recruitment of child soldiers.\u003cbr/\u003eThe Sri Lankan government has accused the LTTE of recruiting child soldiers.\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television footage shot in 2002 shows female LTTE cadres on parade to celebrate Malthi day.\u003cbr/\u003eSriLanka's separatist conflict flared in 1983 when separatist rebels started fighting for an independent homeland for the country's 3.1 (m) million ethnic minority Tamils, who complain of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.\u003cbr/\u003eSome estimates say that more than 64-thousand people have died in the conflict. 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