The Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB) today released a report, titled "Forgotten Futures" which details violations of child rights during armed conflicts in Burma.
The report especially documents six clauses of child rights violation, such as killing children, sexual abuse, targeting children, using child soldiers among others that have been mentioned in UNSC resolution 1612.
U Aung Myo Min, the director of HREIB, said that children have been suffering as a result of these six clauses of child rights violations during armed conflicts in Burma. Among all these use of child soldiers is the worst and is rampant.
"Because we have investigated about child soldiers in the past we have documented what former child soldiers told us. We have a lot of documentation on child soldiers. Hundreds of children were killed some of them directly. Some of them were killed in land mine explosions. There are many crippled and injured children who are suffering due to armed conflicts."
The Burmese regime uses sexual abuse as a tool. Mostly under-age girls are victims of sexual violence. This is because there is no way to prevent these atrocities on children during civil war, he added.
The report mentions that it is likely to be a business because if children are persuaded to become soldiers, it helps earn money.
"Former child soldiers said that they saw money changing hands between buyers and army authorities. It's like a business. We have enough documents to show that if someone wants to quit the army he must find two people to work in his place. Therefore, if a person wants to leave the army, he must look for victims. Adults are difficult to control so the person targets children," he said.
Besides the Burmese Army, some ethnic armed groups also use child soldiers. The UNSC and the international community have a duty to stop the use of child soldiers and violation of children's rights, he added.
"It is because the SPDC has signed an international treaty, international organizations have a duty to make efforts and change the junta's policy. To take action on the SPDC there is need to lobby and let the world know about the activities of the junta. Unlike the Burmese regime, ethnic armed groups haven't signed the international treaty but they are also guilty of violation of child's rights," he said.
After Cyclone Nargis lashed Burma in May last year news spread that rights of orphans were being violated. For instance children were sold and forcibly recruited as child soldiers. HREIB will continue to investigate such cases, he added.
