Issue of child soldiers to be taken up with the Centre

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.