GUWAHATI: Rights bodies in Manipur have appealed to armed groups and communities to refrain from recruiting child soldiers in the ongoing conflict, following reports of minors being used as frontline fighters. “There are media and social media reports that certain communities are engaging in the recruitment of children to be their frontline fighters, which is a total violation of UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) norms that prohibit the recruitment or use of child soldiers in conflicts,” said Keisham Pradipkumar, chairperson of the Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR). At a joint press conference on Wednesday, MCPCR, the Manipur Human Rights Commission, and the Manipur State Commission for Women made a fervent appeal to the outfits to release any children being used in combat. “The commissions appeal to the outfits concerned not to recruit any minor as a child soldier. We urge government agencies, including the police, to be alert in dealing with such cases,” Pradipkumar said. The rights bodies also urged the state’s BJP-led government to open two residential schools in every district to support children displaced by ethnic violence.
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