Hizbul Mujahideen, JeM recruited and used children as spies during Kashmir clashes: UN report

NEW DELHI: Days after the Centre rejected a ''motivated'' United Nations report on Jammu and Kashmir, another report from the world body has claimed that the Pakistan-based banned terror outfits including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen recruited and used children during clashes with security forces last year.

The unverified UN report used the phrase "grave violations" to highlight that at least three incidents of recruitment and use of children by the two terror outfits during clashes with security forces were reported in Jammu and Kashmir.

"One case was attributed to Jaish-e-Mohammed and two to Hizbul Mujahideen," the report said.

The UN report also claimed the children from J&K were also used as informants and spies by these terror outfits.

The annual report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, which covered the January-December 2017 period, said more than 10,000 children were killed or wounded seriously in conflicts globally. 

Over 8,000 were recruited and used as combatants, it said.

The UN report covered over 20 countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, India, the Philippines and Nigeria.

The report prepared by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said that children in India are getting constantly affected by the violent incidents between armed groups and the government forces. 

It pointed to the fact that in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir are witnessing growing tensions.

The report also claimed that children were employed by the banned CPI-M Naxalites, particularly in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

"Naxalites reportedly resorted to the use of a lottery system to conscript children in Jharkhand," it said.

The report concluded by saying that children recruited by these banned outfits continued to die during fierce clashes between the security forces and the insurgent groups.

The report also urged the governments in these countries to take immediate steps to capture perpetrators of child recruitment and engage with the UN to end and prevent violations against children. 

(With ANI inputs)