Recruitment of children by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Sri Lankan insurgency group that has been fighting for the dignity of the minority Tamilian population in Sri Lanka, is a well-established fact. There have been constant concerns since the ceasefire between the rebels and the government regarding the continuing recruitment of children into 'baby brigade' within the LTTE.
The fifth round of peace talks between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government that were held in Berlin on the 7-8th February, brought a ray of hope for demolition of the 'baby brigade' and the end of child recruitments into the LTTE. With immense international pressure, especially from the UNICEF, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's (SLMM) initiative and President Kumaratunge's widely publisized letters to the army and the police to investigate child abductions by the LTTE, the issue of child soldiers became the central theme of the fifth session in the peace process.
The process of demobilisation of the LTTE baby brigade received it's first boost on the eve of the fifth session when chief negotiator Dr. Anton Balasinghamthe and rebel political wing leader, S.P. Thamil Chelvam assured UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy that the LTTE would release and rehabilitate it's under-age cadres recruited for war.
This assurance shattered one of the major barriers for the LTTE- it's continuous denial of the existence of child soldiers among it's ranks. However, the assurances given by senior officials did not end the complains received by human rights organizations regarding the continuing recruitment of children.
The second and more significant announcement came  on 9 February, 2003 at the end of the fifth session,  by Norwegian Foreign Ministry state secretary Vidar Helgesen , who is brokering the peace talks, said the rebels had agreed to work with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to produce a plan for the demobilization of child soldiers. "The LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) has agreed to a complete cessation of recruitment of, and recruitment campaigns aimed at persons under 18," he said.
This round of talks also saw the saw the rebels agree to let a former head of the human rights group Amnesty International draw up a blueprint for rights issues linked to the peace process. UNICEF's efforts since the negotiations have focused on setting up of vocational training centers and helping children return to schools.
While UNICEF's efforts have focused on the physical rehabilitation of children, a progressive move by the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE has seen the formation of a special committee to address the psychological trauma faced by children and women as a result of the 19-year-old conflict. The committee is to explore various methods such as play therapy, art therapy and group therapy to help children express themselves about issues related to the conflict.
All of these developments during the past two weeks have been seen as positive signals from the LTTE towards demobilising it's child soldiers and ending it's recruitment of children. However, apprehension still hangs in the air given the LTTE's bad record of breaking it's promises and going back on it's commitments.
We hope that this time, the light at the end of the tunnel becomes brighter for each child in Sri Lanka.

Note:
For background information on child soldiers in the LTTE, see our story titled "Where do the LTTE's 'Tiger' children figure" that came out in ACR Weekly Newletter Vol.2, No.3, January 15, 2003 [http://acr.hrschool.org/Newsletter/weeklynewsletterv2n3.htm]