Under-15 — no recruitment, no use in hostilities
States and parties to non-international armed conflicts (AP II Art 4(3)(c))
Sri Lanka acceded — applicable throughout the conflict.
ICRC IHL Databases
Under-15 — feasible measures to prevent recruitment and direct participation
All States Parties
Sri Lanka ratified 12 July 1991.
treaties.un.org
Under-15 — "Conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into armed forces or groups or using them to participate actively in hostilities" — WAR CRIME in non-international armed conflict
Individual criminal responsibility; covers state and non-state armed groups ("armed forces or groups")
Sri Lanka has signed but not ratified the Rome Statute. The substantive prohibition reflects customary international law.
icc-cpi.int / icrc.org
Under-18 — non-state armed groups "shall not, under any circumstances, recruit or use in hostilities"
All non-state armed groups (binding on the State to prevent and criminalise)
Sri Lanka declared under Art 3(2) on 8 September 2000 (one of the earliest ratifying States). Protocol entered into force globally on 12 February 2002.
treaties.un.org · Chapter IV.11.b · ICRC IHL Databases
Monitoring & Reporting Mechanism (MRM) on six grave violations against children, including recruitment/use
Country task forces under UNICEF lead; Annex I / II listings in the annual SG CAAC report
Sri Lanka MRM operational from 2006. LTTE and the Karuna faction listed in Annex II of A/61/529–S/2006/826, A/62/609–S/2007/757 and A/63/785–S/2009/158.
docs.un.org · S/RES/1612(2005)
Under-18 — "in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys, and girls used as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes"
Soft-law standard; UN, ICRC, donor governments and INGOs apply it operationally
Sri Lanka endorsed the broader Paris Commitments framework.
unicef.org
Under-15 prohibition on recruitment and active participation — binding on all parties in all armed conflicts
Customary international humanitarian law
Binding on the Sri Lankan state, the LTTE, the Karuna group, and TMVP throughout.
ihl-databases.icrc.org