Each row is one source's own figures over one reporting period. Columns separate (a) the LTTE Vanni command, (b) the Eastern LTTE under Karuna pre-split, (c) the Karuna group / TMVP post-split, and (d) alleged state complicity. TLTE never sums across rows in its own voice. The pattern is the finding.
709 recruited; 202 released; 1,301 still with LTTE (whole LTTE — not separately attributed Vanni vs Eastern command).
Same caseload — Eastern command under Karuna pre-split.
n/a — Karuna had not yet broken from the LTTE.
4,600 cumulative cases of "under-age recruitment" documented since Jan 2002 (whole LTTE); 1,395 still outstanding as of 1 Nov 2004.
"the largest number taking place in Batticaloa district in the East".
"Some 2,000 child soldiers under Karuna fled or were encouraged by their commanders to return to their families" (April 2004 split). By early Aug 2004, UNICEF had registered 1,800 returned children, primarily Batticaloa.
5,794 cumulative LTTE cases on UNICEF DB since Apr 2001; 1,598 believed still with LTTE; 26% of new recruitment from Kilinochchi (Vanni heartland).
n/a — period ends 31 Oct 2006; Karuna had split 31 months earlier.
164 cases of children recruited by the Karuna faction reported to UNICEF; 142 believed still in Karuna ranks (separate-party listing).
SLMM ceasefire-violation rulings: 60 against LTTE for child recruitment, 6 against the Karuna faction, 3 against the Government for abductions. Not yet framed as direct state complicity.
262 LTTE-recruited (incl. 32 re-recruited) — a significant reduction.
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207 TMVP/Karuna-recruited (incl. 45 re-recruited) — an increase. 78% of TMVP reports from Batticaloa. UNICEF cumulative TMVP caseload: 385; 214 outstanding (160 still under 18).
First explicit UN call for investigation of "allegations that elements of the Government security forces are supporting the forced recruitment of children by the TMVP/Karuna faction". HRCSL Jan–Jun 2007: 31 of 83 child-abduction complaints "allegedly perpetrated by the TMVP/Karuna faction, 7 allegedly by LTTE".
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208 child abductions by the Karuna group across Ampara (23), Batticaloa (181), Trincomalee (4). 206 of 208 were boys. UNICEF estimate: true figure ~3× higher.
"After abducting boys and young men, the Karuna group often holds them temporarily in the nearest office of its political party, the TMVP… frequently guarded by the Sri Lankan army and police." Documented for Batticaloa town, Akkaraipattu (STF), Trincomalee (navy). "Transporting several hundred abducted youth to the Karuna camps would have been impossible without the complicity of government security forces."
Verified figure 39 recruited / 6 re-recruited under access constraints; 81 outstanding; 1,342 persons recruited as children now ≥18. "The Country Task Force has grave concerns that, in the last months, LTTE has forcibly recruited a much larger number of children, allegedly some as young as 14 years of age."
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150 TMVP recruitment/re-recruitment reports; 130 verified releases; 74 escapees; 41 outstanding. 77% Batticaloa (116). Karuna sworn in as a UPFA Member of Parliament on 7 Oct 2008.
Documented incidents of abductions of named-age children by "persons allegedly in Sri Lankan Army (SLA) uniform" in Vavuniya (21 Jan 2008, 16-year-old; 3 Apr 2008, 17-year-old). TMVP registered as a political party 24 Jan 2008.
LTTE "implemented a policy of forced recruitment throughout the war, but in the final stages greatly intensified its recruitment of people of all ages, including children as young as fourteen". "Forced recruitment of children" listed among six core LTTE credible-allegation categories.
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Not addressed — TMVP had transitioned to political party and was not a belligerent in the final stages.
UNICEF's underage-recruitment database (established 2002 in Sri Lanka) is the underlying numerical source for HRW and the UN SG CAAC reports — it has never been published as a standalone open dataset. UNICEF and the UN SG repeatedly warn that the figures are conservative: families fear reporting; access to LTTE-controlled and later TMVP-controlled areas was constrained; the true caseload is generally believed to be higher than the verified figure.
