![]() As reflected in the Secretary-General’s report, the Tatmadaw also advised the country team that it would not allow access to operational units/battalions until all recruitment centers have been assessed for verification purposes. The government’s denial of access to all relevant military sites is in clear violation of the terms of the action plan. Of particular concern, on four occasions since the action plan was signed, the armed forces have refused the UN access to camps. Specifically, it states that the identification and registration of all children in the armed forces would be completed within 135 days of signing the action plan (i.e. It is now nearly one year since the action plan was signed, and progress in reaching this goal is unacceptably slow.ģ) Denial of access to military facilities for verification purposes: The action plan stipulates that the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR) would have access to military bases, prisons, and other places where children might be present. In the action plan, the government committed to release all children from the armed forces within an 18-month period, i.e. Other cases are never reported.Ģ) Few releases of child soldiers: The Secretary-General’s report indicates that only 66 children have been released from government forces between June 2012, when the action plan was signed, and January 31, 2013. Since children recruited into the Tatmadaw often do not have any way to contact their families while they are undergoing basic training-which lasts approximately 4½ months-many cases of child recruitment are not reported for several months after they take place. The actual number is almost certainly higher. Key issues include:ġ) Continued child recruitment: The Secretary-General’s report indicates that the International Labor Organization (ILO) has verified 770 cases of underage recruitment during the reporting period of April 2009-December 2012, including children as young as 10. However, we are deeply concerned that the government and its armed forces have failed to effectively implement the plan and, in some cases, are deliberately obstructing implementation efforts. Human Rights Watch welcomed Burma’s signing in June 2012 of an action plan with the UN Country Task Force to end its recruitment and use of child soldiers. Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers by Government Forces Because of this long history of violations, clear and strong action by the Security Council is vital.īased on the Secretary-General’s report and our own research, we take this opportunity to highlight a number of specific concerns and recommendations for your consideration. We note that most of the parties listed in the Secretary-General’s annex for recruitment and use of child soldiers in Burma are considered persistent perpetrators, and that the government armed forces, the Tatmadaw, have been listed every year since 2002. We welcome the examination by the United Nations Security Council working group on children and armed conflict of the Secretary-General’s report on children in armed conflict in Myanmar (S/2013/258). We have conducted two in-depth investigations of recruitment and use of child soldiers by both government forces and non-state armed groups, publishing our findings in My Gun was as Tall as Me: Child Soldiers in Burma in 2002, and Sold to be Soldiers: The Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers in Burma in 2007. ![]() Human Rights Watch has monitored the human rights situation in Burma (Myanmar) for 25 years, including violations against children affected by armed conflict.
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