IMPHAL, April 19: Manipur Alliance for Child Rights has strongly condemned the reported recruitment of young boys (under 18 years) as child soldiers by some underground groups.
A release of MACR has said that on March 16, it was reported that a boy of 13 years of age from Wangjing Awang Leikai was recused by the police from being recruited by a UG group.
Again on April 9, three teenage boys from Sairem Polangsoi of Imphal west district, who went missing were believe to be kidnaped by some underground group for recruitment as child soldiers as according to the villagers and their parents.
Further MACR has appealed for the release of the teenagers without any harm if any of the UG groups have them in their custody.
MACR has further reminded that there has been a declaration from all the UG groups that they will not recruit any person who is less than 18 years as cadres.
International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law and the optional protocol on the involvement of children in Armed Conflict of UN Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC) are also against under 18 year olds to act as an armed force in any war. These norms should be followed by the state and non-state actors, it added.