Attribution of child recruitment to Karuna faction; State complicity

கருணா குழுவினரின் குழந்தைச் சேர்ப்பு; அரசின் உடந்தைப் பொறுப்பு

This dossier establishes that the Karuna faction (Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal - TMVP) systematically recruited child soldiers, despite international prohibitions, and that elements of the Sri Lankan security forces were complicit in these practices.

This dossier compiles top-tier evidence, primarily from UN Security Council and UNICEF reports, demonstrating the Karuna faction's systematic recruitment and use of child soldiers in Sri Lanka following its split from the LTTE in March 2004. These reports meticulously document hundreds of child recruitment cases attributed to the Karuna faction/TMVP, noting an increase in their recruitment numbers even as LTTE recruitment began to decline in certain periods. ### International legal breaches confirmed The actions of the Karuna faction constituted war crimes under the Rome Statute and clear breaches of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OP-CAC), to which Sri Lanka was an early signatory. The dossier highlights the international community's explicit and repeated condemnation of these practices. ### State complicity Crucially, the dossier also establishes compelling evidence of complicity by elements of the Sri Lankan Government security forces in supporting and facilitating the Karuna faction's child recruitment and other human rights abuses, including disappearances. This aspect is underscored by direct UN calls for investigation into such allegations and Human Rights Watch documentation. ### Failed interventions and persistent recruitment Despite formal engagement and action plans, including with UNICEF (e.g., the Tripartite Action Plan of December 2008), the Karuna faction often acted in bad faith, misrepresenting its actions and continuing to recruit children. The persistent nature of these violations, even as the Karuna faction transitioned into a registered political party and its leader became a Member of Parliament, underscores a severe institutional failure to protect children and uphold international law.

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