The Human Rights Foundation of Monland Releases a New Report, “Forced to Enlist: The Impacts of Military Conscription in Southeastern Burma”
10 December 2024 — The military junta’s enforcement of conscription has led to violent tactics being deployed to unjustly enlist young men and women in the regime’s armed forces. In a new report released today by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), “Forced to Enlist: The Impacts of Military Conscription in Southeastern Burma” we call for urgent and coordinated action in response to the aggressive strategies being carried out across targeted areas of Mon State, Karen State and the Tanintharyi region.
This report is a follow-up to the briefing paper “Forced to Fight” released by HURFOM in May 2024.
Civilians have been subjected to numerous threats and abuses under the junta’s conscription law. Seven months have passed since HURFOM’s last report on forced conscription, and more cases of extortion and fear-mongering have been reported. Military forces often raid villages searching for young recruits, leading to widespread fear and panic.
Those who resist or attempt to hide are frequently beaten or detained. In some cases, entire families have been targeted, with parents threatened or arrested to force their children to enlist. This latest report includes specific calls for accountability and justice that international stakeholders must pursue.
The situation in all of HURFOM’s target areas has worsened, and the junta’s presence constantly threatens the safety and security of local people. HURFOM spoke to communities that shared how junta soldiers arrived in the middle
of the night to take away sons and daughters to fight on battlefields in a war they want no part in. The ongoing forced conscription practices highlight the junta’s desperation to meet its military needs, and innocent people are paying the price with their lives.
Beyond the immediate human rights violations, these actions are causing widespread fear and distrust within local communities, further destabilizing the region. Residents worry that these methods will not only continue tooppress vulnerable groups but will also significantly alter the demographic balance in the long term.
HURFOM calls on regional and global stakeholders to:
- Demand an end to forced recruitment and the immediate release of all individuals who have been unlawfully conscripted.
- Enforce targeted sanctions on officials responsible for enforcing the conscription law.
- Support documentation efforts to collect and preserve evidence of forced recruitment, displacement, and other human rights abuses for future legal accountability.
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