Catching Them Young: Child Soldiers Of India’s Myriad Mutinies
The issue of children engaged in armed conflict has often caught the attention of academics, policy-makers, and rights advocacy groups around the world. Ironically, however, it has completely escaped the same attention of the government agencies in terms of formulating legislation or policies which could end or at least control this dangerous phenomenon. India is a case in point.
Who is a child soldier? The most accepted characterization of a child soldier (irrespective of gender) is someone who is below 18 years of age, bearing arms, or carrying out both combat and non-combat activities. From firing guns for offensive purpose to acting as support staff for the militant groups by helping them in various activities, (not limited to) transporting logistics like arms and ammunition, cash and information, a child soldier carries out different duties for the armed group he/she is enrolled into. It is of little consequence whether they are forcibly recruited or have joined the armed group voluntarily.
While most of the discourses on children in armed conflict fall in the African war zones, Latin American drug and guerrilla wars and Asia’s Maoist and Tamil insurgencies, child soldiers of India’s myriad mutinies remain either overlooked or ignored. India’s neighboring countries where child soldiering in the past was ‘painted’ as a voluntary form of service, especially in Nepal and Sri Lanka, in neighboring Burma, forced conscription of children is prevalent even today.
This article highlights the problem of child soldiers in the context of India by examining the current state of affairs in different theaters of armed conflict or the geographical region where child recruitment for armed violence is prevalent, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast India and left wing extremism affected zones in Central and East India. While focusing on these conflict zones, the paper will discuss the non-state militant or insurgent movements (armed opposition groups) which have been waging war against the Indian government and have recruited children for military purposes. While citing some major developments albeit, not exhaustively, the article doesn’t examine the socio-psychological impact of child soldiers.
In 2013, at least two comprehensive reports on the problem of child soldiers in India brought international attention to the widespread problem, even though there were other focused reports on the problem of child soldiers in the past such as Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) 2008 report on the Chhattisgarh Conflict. A March 2013 report titled “India’s Child Soldiers”, released by the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR), conservatively observed that at least 3,000 children are members of militant outfits and 500 of them are active in the Northeastern states of India and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) conflict theaters and rest 2500 children are engaged in Naxal-affected areas of Central and Eastern India.[i] One other report was published on July 2013 by the Child Soldiers International on India.[ii] Although this report didn’t mention the figures or numbers of children engaged in these conflict zones, it was critical on the absence of a monitoring mechanism, both domestic and international. According to the report, due to the absence of a monitoring mechanism, it remains difficult to assess the precise numbers or current patterns of recruitment and use of children by armed groups in India, or their physical and moral exploitation in the hands of armed groups. It is noteworthy that these reports also briefly cover the underage military recruitment phenomenon by the State agencies (e.g. state-backed village defense force and government-run military schools).
There are many more facts and figures available on this pressing issue, which is beyond the scope of this article. Also, the anecdotes from the rescued and rehabilitated child soldiers and some interesting information, usually heart wrenching ones, can be found in the 2013 ACHR report. Except for the information on child soldiering in Naxal movement, largely, the scale and exact nature of the children‘s involvement in armed militant groups in Northeast and J&K remains vague due to lack of factual data and monitoring of developments in these states.
Jammu and Kashmir:
The largest militant group of Kashmir, Hizbul Mujahedeen’s (HM) leader Syed Salahudeen once said that HM prefers “to recruit children at the age of eleven or twelve.” Like HM, most of the Pakistan- based Kashmir-centric Islamic militant groups, including Lashkar-e Taiba and Jaish- e Muhammad, have been recruiting children as young as 12 to 15 years since the early 1990s for their subversive activities. The Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan and its Kashmiri branch that spearheaded Kashmir conflict too trained hundreds of young Kashmiri teens at Madrasas and at mosques during the height of Kashmir militancy and readied a generation of Islamic militants for a prolonged jihad in Kashmir. The Indian Army has many times indicated that these Pakistan-based militant groups keep pushing the young recruits onto the Indian side of the border as, messengers and as shields for the intruder militants.
Two most violent militant groups have a regular publication dedicated to the children often found eulogizing martyr-hood by young combatants. The magazines are titled Naneh Mujhahid (Infant fighter), published by Lashkar-e Taiba, and Musalman Bachay (Muslim Children) published by the Jaish-e Muhammad with the aim to educate and indoctrinate young minds at a very tender age, so that in future there won’t be any hassles in recruiting them into full-fledged militant or send them to Kashmir as suicide bombers. For example, one editorial in the ‘Muslim Bachey’ depicts the example of a Sahabi (prophet’s companion) illustrating how the Sahabi was only a child when he took up a sword to wage jihad against someone who was blasphemous to the Prophet. The editorial further encourages Muslim children to kill any infidel who commits similar blasphemy.[iii] This type of teachings in Pakistan caters to the Taliban movement and other similar militant groups, including Kashmir-centric groups even today.
Even though most of these above mentioned high profile reports on Child Soldiers largely guesstimated the numbers of combatants and their involvements, there is no actual estimation of how many children or underage combatants are engaged in Kashmir conflict zone or anywhere else in India. However, there are some media reports which actually give us the impression on the state of affairs. In August 2004, Indian Army officials claimed to have apprehended at least nine teenaged militants, some as young as 14 years, with sophisticated weapons and highly motivated to wage jihad against the Indian army. In some instances, militant groups have employed young boys as ‘forced’ freelancer. One such recent instance could shed some light on the involvement of these young boys and girls in Kashmir conflict. In August 2012, Lashkar-e Taiba had reportedly engaged at least two youths to throw grenades at a police post in Sopore in exchange of a meager INR 1000.[iv] One 2005 investigative report noted that most of the children picked up by Kashmir militant groups were from remote areas of Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Udhampur and Kupwara districts and belonged to poor families.[v] J&K security forces have been skeptical of this situation of missing children from these remote areas and fear that they might have been abducted and indoctrinated by militant groups.
Northeastern States:
In Northeastern states of India, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland based militant separatists groups have employed children as combatants and support staff for their operations. Manipuri groups like the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Meghalaya’s Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) and Nagaland’s NSCN-IM and Khaplang factions have lured young boys and girls to their ranks and file. In June-July 2008, Manipur witnessed mass abduction of children in the age group of 10 to 16 from various parts of the state. Two Manipuri militant groups, the PREPAK and Cobra Task Force, the armed wing of PREPAK (PRO), have claimed that young children have joined their groups voluntarily.[vi] Similarly, in Meghalaya, cases of children being used as combatants by the GNLA surfaced in mid-2012. The state police estimated that more than a hundred children were stationed at GNLA camps in forest hideouts in Garo Hills.
In Nagaland, the most violent SS Khaplang faction of the NSCN group (National Socialist Council of Nagalim) has recruited young boys as militants. The most newsworthy incident took place in February 2008 when 39 boys from Arunachal Pradesh were abducted and later joined the faction as combatants. However, a spokesman of the group reportedly said that these boys have come into the NSCN-K fold voluntarily to serve the Naga army. Fortunately, very recently, the only Non state armed group in India, the Nagaland based armed group, the Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Nagaland/National Socialist Council of Nagaland (GPRN/NSCN)-Khole-Kitovi faction which is observing ceasefire with the Government of India, has signed ‘Deeds of Commitment’ (under the auspice of Geneva Call) that includes protecting children in armed conflict and vowed not to allow children under 18 to be recruited or used in hostilities. Even though some other Northeastern Armed groups like Kuki National Organization and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isaac Muivah) have signed the deeds of commitment, they skipped the clause that aims to protect children in the armed conflict zone. [vii]
Central and Eastern India:
Besides the above mentioned landmark studies, the other important report was the UN Secretary-General‘s May 2013 Annual Report (2012 as the study year) on Children and Armed Conflict, which highlighted the recruitment and use of children by Naxalite groups in India and mentioned particularly the recruitment of children aged between 6 and 12 years into children‘s units known as Bal Sangams in the Naxal affected/infested states. This is one of the vital arms of the Naxalite organizational structure.
Arguably, Indian Naxalites (also CPI-Maoists) are notorious for employing and exploiting children as a combatant in their ongoing armed struggle. Another issue of concern is that of sexual exploitations that exist within Naxal rank and file and mostly the victims are young female recruits.
A 2011 report indicated that the CPI (Maoist) recruited nearly 400 children for its children's wing, Bal Sangam, that year and they were getting trained in intelligence work and the use of explosives in the Saranda forests along the Jharkhand-Orissa border. Little probe into details revealed that children of different age groups are trained and assigned different tasks: Children aged from six to 12 are used as spies and couriers and armed with basic .303 rifles. Children above 12 are used as fighters, trained to make and plant landmines and bombs, gather intelligence and carry out sentry duty. Like boys, girls too get combat and guerrilla training in their secret camps. Even the Naxalites reportedly established a child battalion by November 2008, called Child Liberation Army (CLA).[viii] Available reports suggest that the children inducted into the CLA are between 12 and 18 years. Police sources informed that training camps are located in the bordering jungle areas of Dhanbad and Giridih districts of Jharkhand.
Reports surfaced in mid-2013 that Naxals have been recruiting school children in Chhattisgarh and have constituted 'Baal Action Teams' to deploy school children in different capacities in their attempt to regroup the child cadres and boost their military strength.[ix] These 'Baal Action Teams' are already operating in the Bastar region, Chhattisgarh. This specialized school children unit would also help the Baal Sangams and Chhatra Sangams in the Naxal affected zones.
Conclusion:
It is imperative to discuss the government’s role and effort to curb this rising phenomenon in India. The growing trend of recruiting teenage children as armed fighters in India has faced national and international criticism over the past many years. In its response to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2011, the Indian government dismissed such criticisms by stating that the problem hardly ever existed in the country. India had then categorically stated that the country “does not face either international or non-international armed conflict situation”.[x] However, by March 2013, the government’s perception changed drastically on the issue when the reports of exploitation of tribal children in the Naxalite camps came to light.
The initial dismissal by the government notwithstanding, India’s Union Ministry of Women and Child Development is considering to bring into effect a law to criminalize the act of recruiting children for the armed campaign. The latest draft of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 aims to provide legal protection to children in conflict zones Moving a step ahead, the draft Bill seeks rigorous punishment for those involved in child recruitment for militant purposes and activities through jail sentencing and a monetary fine. The Bill states that “any non-State, self-styled militant group or outfit declared as such by the Central Government, if recruits or uses any child for any purpose, shall be liable for rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine of five lakh rupees.”[xi]
These government formulated laws or international forum backed guidelines like Geneva Call, may not dissuade armed groups to abandon these age-old military tactics of recruiting children as a combatant, what is more crucial at this juncture is the rehabilitation of a generation of child soldiers traumatized by violence whether in India or elsewhere.
[i] See, “India’s Child Soldiers”, Asian Centre for Human Rights, New Delhi, March 2013, http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/JJ-IndiasChildSoldiers2013.pdf
[ii] See, “India: Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in advance of India’s initial report on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict,” Child Soldiers International, July 2013, http://www.child-soldiers.org/user_uploads/pdf/indiaopacreportjuly20135…
[iii] The publication’s Urdu web portal,http://www.musalmanbachay.com/, Also See, Muslaman Bachay: Case study of an online jihadi magazine for Muslim kids, December 12, 2010, https://pakistanblogzine.wordpress.com/page/28/
[iv] Jammu and Kashmir: CCTV footage shows teens used for terror attacks
[v] Prakriiti Gupta, “Child Warriors”, Hindu, November 20, 2005.
[vi] “Manipur militant groups accused of recruiting schoolchildren”, Press Trust of India/Indian Express, July 15, 2008, http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/manipur-militant-groups-accused-o…
[vii] http://www.genevacall.org/how-we-work/armed-non-state-actors/
[viii] “Children being used by Maoists in propaganda war”, IANS, November 10, 2008, http://naxalwatch.blogspot.com/2008/11/children-being-used-by-maoists-i…
[ix] “Maoists recruiting school children in Chhattisgarh”, Niticentral, July 03, 2013, http://www.niticentral.com/2013/07/03/maoists-recruiting-school-childre…
[x] Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, Ministry of Women and Child Development Government of India, 2011, http://wcd.nic.in/crc3n4/crc3n4_2r.pdf
[xi] The Juvenile Justice (Care And Protection Of Children) Bill, 2014, http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Juvenile%20Justice/Juvenile%20jus…
[An abridged version of this paper was published in "Defence and Security Alert", November 3, 2014. ]