DHAKA: UN Secretary General’s annual report on children and armed conflict said Maoists recruit and indoctrinate children for children’s squads and associations, particularly in Chhattisgarh and some districts in adjoining states.
This is part of the Maoist strategy for mass mobilization, the report said, reports The Times of India.
It also pointed to recruitment of children by vigilante groups like the Salwa Judum.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon recently sent the annual report to the Security Council. The report mentions the plight of children in conflict zones across the world.
In a press statement, special representative of the secretary-general for children and armed conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy said, ‘In conflict, schools and hospitals must be zones of peace respected by all parties.’
For the first time, the UN report listed groups responsible for attacks on schools and hospitals in addition to those who recruit, kill and maim, or commit sexual violence.
The report said, ‘In 2011, incidents of attacks on schools by Maoist armed groups continued to be reported.’
BDST: 2032 HRS, JUN 20, 2012
Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor
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