Shillong, May 20 : The issue of child soldiers being
used by militant outfits in Meghalaya and Manipur would be
taken up with the Centre by National Commission for Protection
of Child Rights.
"We will take suo moto cognisance and raise the issue
with the union home secretary and seek appropriate actions in
this regard," Commission member Yogesh Dube told reporters
here after reviewing the status of child rights in Meghalaya
today.
Terming the matter of child soldiers as 'serious', he
said the Government should ensure that action is taken at all
levels to ensure that children be given their rights to life,
education and health services.
Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) in Meghalaya has
been recruiting children in its fold and more than a hundred
of them are at its camps in the jungle in Garo Hills,
Meghalaya police said.
In trouble-torn Manipur several militant organisations
reportedly having children as soldiers.
The Commission said senior concerned officers in
Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur would be
pulled up for violation of child rights.