By 2015 the Myanmar army is expected to abolish the use of child soldiers, according to a recent report by UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO).
“They are still using child soldiers for their armed forces. We know this, from the complaints of child soldiers who have escaped from the front lines,” said Stephen Marshall, ILO chief communication officer.
They only recently admitted to have minors in their ranks even though it was well documented for years. Recently the Myanmar government signed an agreement to eliminate the use of children in their national armed forces within 3 years. However it’s not possible to get the exact number, Marshall said.
“The exact number of child soldiers within the military is unknown, and it is not possible to get into the military army to make inquiries.” But Senior General Min Aung Hlaing admitted to the media that there are many more child soldiers.
The army released 42 children on July 8 in the third release in the past 12 months. The second time was in February when 24 were set free and 42 in September of last year.
Investigations into Myanmar’s use of forced labor and porters' forces started following a complaint in 1996 when the government was accused of using vulnerable populations for mining sweeping operations. The episode led to a review of exploitation practices in the country's workforce after the ILO formed an expert investigation committee. This ultimately uncovered the extensive use of under-aged workers in several industries, in particular the armed forces.
Most of the economic sanctions imposed on Myanmar were lifted in June 2013 after the Tatmadaw followed through with the terms of the action plan signed with the ILO.
The Myanmar government still has to implement several points stipulated in the agreement that was also involves the UN Security Council. These points include establishing a monitoring and reporting mechanism that will provide timely and reliable information on child’s rights violations, including the recruitment and use of children in national armed forces and other armed groups. The proposal is outlined in the Security Council’s resolution 1612.
“We can see that the government is trying their best to implement this plan,” said Marshall adding that for it to be most effective, “public participation is also essential.”
