ABSTRACT
Sri Lanka has experienced a civil conflict lasting over twenty years in which one of the main protagonists, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has been frequently accused by international bodies of actively recruiting child soldiers. UNICEF has been at the forefront of these accusations although in recent years it has been working closely with the LTTE to support programmes through which recruits under the age of 18 are released back to their families. In June 2004, however, the cooperation appeared to have broken down when UNICEF once again called on the LTTE to halt child recruitment from Tamil areas. A press statement from 26 June 2004 announced:
After promising signs in April that the LTTE was taking seriously its pledge to release the children in its ranks, recruitment has been accelerated in recent weeks, including of children under the age of 18.
