Child Rights

Sri Lanka

 

 

 

(TCHR is an independent Human Rights organisation – not affiliated to any Tamil Federation or Association)

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Appeal to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights

Un appel à Nations Unies Commission des droits de l'homme

Una Ilamada a Naciones Unidas Comisión de Derechos Humanos

 

 

 

 

 

 

62 Session / Sesiones

March 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOGO

 

 

 

 

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR

Centre Tamoul pour les droits de l'Homme - CTDH

Centro Tamil para los Derechos Humanos

 

(Established in 1990)

 

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR

Centre Tamoul pour les droits de l'Homme - CTDH

Centro Tamil para los Derechos Humanos

(Established in 1990)

 

  

Website : www.tchr.net

    

TCHR participation in United Nations World conferences and other meetings

 

*       A meeting was held on 7 March 2006, in the European Parliament – titled "EU contribution to the        peace         process in Sri Lanka". This was jointly organised by the Tamil Centre for Human Rights         (TCHR) and Mr. Robert         Evans, a member of European Parliament of Labour Party in UK.

 

*       The Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) officially accredited to participate in the United     Nations World Summit on the Information Society – WSIS in Tunisia, 16 – 18 November           2005.

 

*       The Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR), officially participated in the NGO forum of the UN            World         Conference Against Racism – WCAR in Durban, South Africa, from 28 August to 1    September 2001. TCHR held an information stall including an exhibition at the forum. The            TCHR representatives also attended the main WCAR conference held in Durban, 31 August to         7          September 2001.

        (http://www.tchr.net/reports_wcar_detail.htm)

 

*       A meeting was held on 14 October 1998, in the European Parliament – titled "Press censorship in     Sri Lanka". This was jointly organised by the Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) and Ms. Anita            Pollack, a member of European Parliament of Labour Party in UK.

 

*       In 1993, the TCHR held an information stall and a photo exhibition on human rights violations, in        the United Nations 2nd World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna, Austria, from         14-25    June.

 

*       TCHR has participated in meetings of Treaty bodies and has submitted reports to the same.

 

 

Fact finding missions to the North East of the Island of Sri Lanka

 

*       May 2003                                             (http://www.tchr.net/report_studymission_2003.htm)

*       December 2003 – addendum report         (http://www.tchr.net/report_studymission_2003add.htm)

*       July-August 2004                                  (http://www.tchr.net/reports_visite_2004.htm)

  

Head Office

9, rue des Peupliers

95140 - Garges les Gonesse

FRANCE

 

Email : tchrgs@hotmail.com

tchrdip@hotmail.com

Fax : + 33 - 1 – 42 67 54 36

 

  Branches

Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom

 

Contents

 

Appeal                                                                                                                    03

 

 

Rights of the Child                                                                                               04

 

            Rights of the child in International Law                                                                      05

            The Sri Lanka government’s stance                                                               06

            Optional Protocol on children in armed conflicts (OP/AC)                              

 

 

Fact book on Global Sexual Exploitation                                                                     07

           

            100,000 children aged 6 to 14 kept in brothels in Sri Lanka                          08

            10,000 to 12,000 children are being prostituted in Sri Lanka                        

            60 per cent of youth are drug addicts                                                           

 

 

Child trafficking and Labour in Sri Lanka                                           

           

            250,000 between 500,000 child labourers in Sri Lanka                                             09

            150,000 children employed as servants                                                                   

            Trafficking in Persons                                                                                   

            More than 500 children missing after Tsunami                                                          

            Women, children sexually abused after tsunami                                                        10

            UN Special Rapporteur on children                                                                11

 

Child Abuse and Child Prostitution in Sri Lanka

Pedophiles' Paradise

           

            10,000 Child prostitutes in Sri Lanka                                                             12

            20,000 to 30,000 Child prostitutes in Sri Lanka                                                        

            Youth prostitution on the rise                                                                        

            Complaints of sexual offences against CHILDREN received by police                      

            One out of 10 children sexually abused                                                                   

            Child abuser's sex activities confirmed                                                                      

            Sri Lanka, hotbed for sexual exploitation of children                                      13

            Sri Lanka notorious destination for homosexual paedophiles                        

            40,000 child prostitutes, more than half of them boys                                               

            Beach boys –carriers of HIV/AIDS                                                                

            Fighting child prostitution in Sri Lanka                                                                                  

            Sickening - News of the World investigated                                                    14

            Rapists, abusers prey on disaster victims                                                       15

            Tsunami Unexpectedly Aids Child Sex Trade                                                

            Many Children still abused and neglected in Sri Lanka                                              16

            Stemming child sexual abuse: NCPA's role                                                    17

            US State Department – Country report 2002, 2004 & 2005                                                                       2,070 complaints of violent crimes against children                          18

                       2,000 child prostitutes in the country

                       7,000 boys aged 15-18 years are self-employed prostitutes

            BBC World Service

                       '100 kids abused daily' in Sri Lanka – BBC                                       19                   

                        The year the children suffered – BBC

                        Sri Lanka 'Child abuse' arrests - BBC                                                            

 

 

Impact of 20 years of war on the Tamil children

           

            50,000 children out of school in the affected region                                      20

            Jaffna children suffer trauma – BBC                                                             

            Mostly children killed                                                  

            Navalay Church massacre                                                                             21

            Kumarapuram Massacre                                                                                22

            A school bombed in Jaffna - 42 children killed                                                          

            Massacre of Tamil youths in a detention Centre                                                        23

            136,000 IDPs are children in the North-East                                                  24

            270,000 displaced children                                                                           

            Call to increased action for Sri Lanka's war affected children                        

            Survey reveals alarming malnutrition in North East                                        

            Out of 16,000 children, only a quarter found properly nourished                                          

            16% of tsunami affected children malnourished                                                        25                  

            Save the Tamil Children of Sri Lanka                                                            

            Caring for the children affected by war                                                                     

 

 

Child soldiers

        

            Security forces encourage 15 year old children to join the army                                26

            Children under 18 in Home Guard duty and armed groups                           

            Sri Lanka military lists 70,369 soldiers as deserters                                       

            Child soldiers in the Sri Lanka military                                                            27

            Child soldiers speak to the media                                                                 

            Paramilitary recruits underage boys                                                               28                  

            Child soldier issue is prioritised                                                                                                        

            "Decrease in recruitment and a rise in children being released"                                 29

            UNICEF expressed satisfaction                                                                     

            Some of the many children released                          

            Significant decrease in child recruitment                                                       

            Kanuna’s cadre                                                                                                                               

            TCHR report Dec 2004                                                                                              30

            Child soldiers, labour, prostitution and trafficking have similar causes                       

            Human Rights Watch and its report on Sri Lanka                                       31

                       Political lobby in the Western cities

                       Two Americans kidnapped in Jaffna                                      

 

Annexes

           

            Child Soldiers and the Law - A Survey -  Nadesan Satyendra                                  32
            Child Soldiers? What Child Soldiers?                                                             34

            Child Recruitment                                                                                          35

            UNICEF and Underage Recruitment                                                              37

            Princeton Prof. says 'no' to Sri Lanka Child Monks                                        39