While there is no evidence of new SPO recruitment since March 2006, both SPOs and community members confirmed that SPOs under age 18 continue to serve with the police.
Several SPOs interviewed by HRW said the police had recruited them when they were underage, and boasted that they continue to serve at the forefront of dangerous armed operations.
They were also unaware of any initiative of the Chhattisgarh police to identify and rehabilitate SPOs that were underage. None of them reported being asked to produce age-related documentation or having undergone age verification tests in the recent past.
Naxalites in this region have recruited and used children for more than a decade. They deploy children to gather intelligence, for sentry duty, to make and plant landmines and bombs, and to engage in hostilities against government forces.
Image: Villagers make their way to a rehabilitation camp in the naxal-affected region.
Also read: Karl and the Kalashnikov
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