by Melani Manel Perera

In cooperation with UNICEF four centres are set up to psychologically rehabilitate boys and girls forced to fight for the Tamil Tigers. Sri Lanka’s military identifies some 200 children and teenagers among the refugees who fled the war zone in the last few weeks of the war.

Colombo (AsiaNews) – With the assistance of UNICEF, Sri Lankan authorities have placed 400 child soldiers in rehabilitation programmes. Four centres for the rehabilitation of minors recruited by Tamil Tigers, especially in the last three years of war, are already up and running.

At the same time, the Sri Lankan military is also trying to identify other child soldiers who are living in camps for internally displaced persons.

So far some 200 boys and girls have been identified. They had fled in the last weeks of the war and will soon join 59 other minors who were moved to the rehabilitation centre in Ambepussa.

The rehabilitation programmes for child soldiers forced to fight and kill for the rebel forces include therapies designed to overcome the effects of the violent experiences they endured through painting, singing, theatre and sports.

• sri
• lanka
• child
• soldier
• rehabilitation
• centres
• unicef