NY group: PHL Army stories on child warriors fabricated

A New York-based human rights organization on Wednesday alleged that the Philippine Army has been fabricating stories of rebel “child warriors" for propaganda purposes. In a statement, Human Rights Watch urged the Philippine government to put an end to the military’s “harassment of children and their families in conflict areas," adding that it ought to chase after those who were responsible for the alleged acts. “The credibility of the armed forces is seriously questioned when it resorts to faking stories about child soldiers," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. The group called on Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to publicly condemn the alleged instances of the military fabricating child soldiers. “The use of child soldiers in the Philippines is a matter of grave concern that the government should be taking seriously but fabricating claims that children are involved undermines efforts to address genuine child soldier recruitment while putting other children in danger," Pearson said. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, however, denied the group’s allegations, adding that it was illegal and “against the established norms of the military organization" to come up with fake stories for propaganda purposes. “It has never been a practice in the AFP nor is it tolerated in the ranks of the organization," Burgos said. “Fake" child warriors Human Rights Watch said that under President Benigno Aquino III’s term, there have been six cases involving 12 children wherein the Army took children into their custody and publicly announced them to be “child warriors" from the communist New People’s Army (NPA). Of the six cases, the group investigated three and found “strong evidence" that suggested the military had fabricated their status as child warriors. The three cases happened between September 2010 and July 2011. The group said in one case, three boys, one of them 10 years old, were helping relatives with farming chores when they were arrested. According to one of the children, the soldiers had bound their hands together while forcing them to admit to planting a bomb. In Northern Samar, meanwhile, two siblings were tagged as “child warriors" despite the Department of Social Welfare and Development denying evidence of their involvement in the communist movement. “Olay," the older of the two, was allegedly kept in an Army camp to do laundry and other domestic chores for three weeks before finally turning him over to the DSWD. Forced to speak to the media The third case, according to the group, involved a 17-year-old girl who had run away to a local detachment in Toril, Davao City, because a soldier who was courting her asked her to visit. The military had said that they took over responsibility of the girl following an argument she had with her brother. “Rose" (not her real name), however, alleged that she was kept in the 10th Infantry Division command’s headquarters for several days, during which she was presented to the media as an NPA child soldier, the group said. The girl reportedly alleged that she was coerced by the military into giving media interviews during that time. Despite having released her to the local social welfare department, the military continued to question Rose, asking her to sign an affidavit which she refused to do since it was in English, a language she did not understand. Lt. Col. Medel Aguilar, former spokesperson of the Army's 10th Infantry Division, explained to the DSWD that the affidavit was to be used against “recruiters and their conduits in the area where she lived," said Human Rights Watch. “In each of the cases investigated, the army paraded the children in front of the media, publicly branding them rebels," read the statement from Human Rights Watch. Burgos said, however, that should soldiers be found guilty of fabricating evidence, the military would punish them accordingly. “If the Human Rights Watch has evidence and proof to support their claim, we will highly appreciate if they could file a formal complaint and rest assured that appropriate actions will be taken swiftly by the AFP," he said. Laws protecting children in armed conflict Philippine law requires the Armed Forces to immediately surrender to the DSWD, the police, or the local government any children taken into custody during military operations, in order to protect the child from more harm. Apprehended or rescued children are likewise not allowed to be shown to the media without the consent of the defense secretary or military chief and the DSWS secretary. Additionally, international humanitarian laws do not allow the exposure of captured combatants to the public, including the media. The Human Rights Watch said in the past year, the United Nations Children’s Fund has reported the use of children in armed conflict by the NPA, Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Philippine army. As party to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, Human Rights Watch urged the Philippine government to “actively work to end the use of children in armed conflict, including as guides, informants, or porters." Under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, a member of any armed force must be at least 18 in order to be part of hostilities. - KBK, GMA News