Geneva: The United Nations (UN) said that India has been able to counter the misuse of children by armed rioters in Jammu and Kashmir. With this, India has been removed from the Children and Armed Conflict report on countries where children are misused in armed struggles. It is the first time since 2010 that India has been removed from Children and Armed Conflict report.
Since the government abrogated Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, peace has returned to the state. The effective intervention from the Ministry of Women and Child Development were not implemented in the state. However, after the abrogation of Article 370, and inclusion of Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory, the central government ministries were able to engage in the development of the state more effectively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ special representative team had arrived in India last July. The team’s report clearly mentions that India was able to bring under control the misuse of children in armed conflicts. Based on this report, Antonio Guterres, removed India from the 2023 report.
This is the first time in thirteen years that the report is released without India on it. Earlier, India was on the list with countries like Cameron, Pakistan, Nigeria, Philippines, etc. Law for the protection of children and the Juvenile Justice Board rules were implemented effectively in Kashmir.
Using children to attack military centers was widespread in Kashmir earlier. The children were used by militants to block the security force from retaliating.
The UN’s decision is a big blow for those who opposed the abrogation of Article 370.
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