UN Secretary General's annual report (2011) released on June
11 on children and armed conflict
said the Communist Party of
India-Maoist (
CPI
-Maoist
) recruit and indoctrinate children for children's squads
and associations, particularly
in Chhattisgarh and some Districts
in adjoining States, reports
The Times of India. This
is part of the Maoist strategy
for mass mobilization, the report
said. It also pointed to recruitment
of children by vigilante groups
like the Salwa Judum
(an anti-Maoist vigilante group).
The report said, "In 2011, incidents of attacks on schools
by Maoist armed groups continued
to be reported." It quoted
the Union home ministry statistics
which showed that Maoists destroyed
258 school buildings, mostly
in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and
Bihar
, between 2006 and November, 2011. "Government statistics
indicate that the number of
attacks on school buildings
has declined progressively since
2009," the report said.
Also, use of schools by security
forces continued in 2011, it
said. The Supreme Court, at
least twice, ordered security
forces to vacate schools in
Chhattisgarh, most recently
in
November
18, 2011. "In January 2011,
the Government of Chhattisgarh
conceded that security forces
were using 31 schools,"
it added.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon recently sent the annual report
to the Security Council. |
