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Philippine army falsely tags children as rebels-HRW

by Reuters
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 10:31 GMT

Reuters

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MANILA, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch on Wednesday accused the Philippine army of fabricating stories that some children it had taken into custody were Maoist rebels and urged the government to end harassment of children in conflict areas.

Both the military and the New York-based rights body acknowledge that children are engaged in the longstanding insurgency. The army disputed HRW&${esc.hash}39;s account that it was using the children for political gain.

Human Rights Watch said it had investigated three of six cases involving 12 children and found evidence the military fabricated accounts of their involvement with the rebels.

"The army is concocting stories of rebel child soldiers that are putting children at risk for propaganda purposes," Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a report.

"The government should get the military to stop this despicable practice and investigate the officers involved."

Pearson said the army paraded the children in front of the media and detained some of them, a violation of Philippine law to protect children&${esc.hash}39;s privacy and keep them from harm.

The military dismissed the report, saying there was no documented incident that child soldiers of the New People&${esc.hash}39;s Army (NPA) had been presented to the media by army commanders.

"The Philippines army does not fabricate evidence to pin down the rebels on the use of child warriors," Major Harold Cabunoc said in a statement. Soldiers, he said, had rescued 14 children in different areas on the southern island of Mindanao.

"The child warriors were captured in armed clashes, strong evidence that indeed the NPA employ children in their armed struggle."

Cabunoc said children were turned over to social welfare offices and never detained.

Human Rights Watch said the U.N. Children&${esc.hash}39;s Fund (UNICEF) had documented cases of child soldiers, including those employed as guides, informants and porters.

"The use of child soldiers in the Philippines is a matter of grave concern that the government should be taking seriously," Pearson said.

The Maoists have been fighting to overthrow the government since the late 1960s. Muslim separatists have also been waging an insurgency of similar length and the government is trying to negotiate peace with both groups. (Reporting By Manny Mogato; Editing by John Mair and Ron Popeski)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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