Myanmar’s Children under Junta Attacks
The junta’s increasing and intensifying use of deadly weapons, including landmines and airstrikes in civilian areas, targeting homes, schools, hospitals, and religious places, leave no safe space for children.
Children in Myanmar continue to endure unimaginable suffering as the military junta escalates its campaign of violence. Junta airstrikes have devastated villages, killing and maiming children, while its landmines indiscriminately planted in civilian areas leave many in constant fear. Countless children are left orphaned, disabled, displaced, and deprived of education, healthcare, and the safety they deserve. These tragedies serve as a stark reminder that the international community’s response to the junta-caused crisis in Myanmar has been profoundly ineffective and inadequate. Urgent and decisive action from the international community is crucial to end ongoing junta atrocities, support locally led aid delivery, heal trauma, and secure a better future for Myanmar’s next generations.
According to a recent statement by UNICEF, over 650 children have been killed or injured in violence in the past year alone—likely a gross underestimation compared with reports documented by local groups. Despite hundreds of children killed by the junta, UNICEF has until now failed to name the Myanmar military as the perpetrators and the root cause of the atrocities against children across Myanmar. The junta’s increasing and intensifying use of deadly weapons, including landmines and airstrikes in civilian areas, targeting homes, schools, hospitals, displacement camps, and religious infrastructures, leaves no safe space for children. In one incident, on 15 November 2024, a junta airstrike on a church in Kone Law Village, Momauk Township of Kachin State, instantly killed at least seven children who were playing football inside the church compound. The church and village provide refuge to many internally displaced person (IDPs) who have been forced to flee their homes due to ongoing conflict. Similarly, on 11 April 2023, a heinous attack by the junta on Pa Zi Gyi Village in Sagaing Region killed 186 villagers, including 40 children, the youngest just six months old. According to Blood Money Campaign, within the first five months of 2024 alone, the military junta conducted approximately 1,500 airstrikes, resulting in the deaths of 90 children. These deliberate attacks on civilian areas underscore the junta’s total disregard for innocent lives and willingness to commit deliberate atrocities against civilians.
Moreover, International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)’s recent report noted that as of September 2023, landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) contamination was reported in 168 of Myanmar’s townships, accounting for 51% of the total townships in the country. The report also outlined that in 2023 Myanmar was the country with the highest annual casualties globally for the first time ever with more than 1,000 people injured and killed by landmines and other explosive devices. Of these victims, 32% are minors, and the majority of the casualties are caused by ERW. Children are the most vulnerable group to these dangers due to their natural curiosity and lack of awareness about the dangers. They often encounter these deadly devices while playing in the fields, roadsides, or forests. The junta’s deliberate planting of landmines in civilian areas not only claims children’s lives but also restricts their safe access to essential resources like food, healthcare, and education, deepening the crisis for children already living in conflict.
The junta’s escalated airstrikes, ground assaults, and widespread use of landmines are not solely aimed at suppressing the resistance movement and causing immense suffering, but also to terrorize the entire nation, instilling fear and preventing safe return or rebuilding of their community. It is crucial to halt airstrikes immediately and provide technical support for marking and demining. Efforts must focus on identifying and marking landmine-contaminated zones, stopping landmine use, and raising awareness—especially among children—about the danger of landmines.
It is imperative that UN agencies and international NGOs such as UNICEF and Save the Children protect Myanmar’s children from violence by the military junta and ensure their right to life, food, healthcare, and education. Furthermore, since Myanmar is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child must address the military junta’s violence against children in Myanmar. The Committee must also call on the UN Security Council to act on its resolution 2601 on the children and armed conflict, and refer the situation of Myanmar to the International Criminal Court for justice, accountability, and reparations for victims and survivors. The time to act is now!
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[1] One year following the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, the former military junta changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar overnight. Progressive Voice uses the term ‘Myanmar’ in acknowledgement that most people of the country use this term. However, the deception of inclusiveness and the historical process of coercion by the former State Peace and Development Council military regime into usage of ‘Myanmar’ rather than ‘Burma’ without the consent of the people is recognized and not forgotten. Thus, under certain circumstances, ‘Burma’ is used.
Resources from the past week
Statements and Press Releases
Protect Children from Myanmar/Burma: Stop Military Junta’s Airstrikes Now
By Blood Money Campaign
မြန်မာနိုင်ငံမှကလေးများကို ကာကွယ်ပေးပါ၊ အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်အုပ်စု၏ လေကြောင်းတိုက်ခိုက်မှုများ ချက်ချင်းရပ်
By Blood Money Campaign
174 Rohingya Drown At Sea Fleeing Escalating Genocide And Violence In Burma
By Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
Bangladesh: End Rohingya Refugee Pushbacks
By Fortify Rights
Landmines: New Casualties Show Need to Support Treaty Ban
By Human Rights Watch
More Landmine Casualties Reported as Countries Convene for Ban Treaty Meeting
By International Campaign to Ban Landmines
As Rohingya refugees flee to Bangladesh, urgent action is needed to provide basic needs
By Médecins Sans Frontières
Webinar Series: Listening to Voices from Myanmar
By Mekong Watch, ayus:Network of Buddhists Volunteers on International Cooperation, Friends of the Earth Japan, Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC), and Network Against Japan Arms Trade (NAJAT)), and Progressive Voice
Urgent need to protect children amid escalating conflict in Myanmar
By UNICEF
Reports
By ALTSEAN-Burma, Asia Democracy Network, Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development, Burma Human Rights Network, Initiatives for International Dialogue, International Federation for Human Rights, Progressive Voice, US Campaign for Burma, and Women’s Peace Network
Myanmar: Access constraints in Rakhine state
By Assessment Capacities Project
October 2024 – Digital Hate Monthly Report (Eng -Myan)
By Burma Human Rights Network
By International Campaign to Ban Landmines
Progressive Voice is a participatory, rights-based policy research and advocacy organization that was born out of Burma Partnership. Burma Partnership officially ended its work on October 10, 2016 transitioning to a rights-based policy research and advocacy organization called Progressive Voice. For further information, please see our press release “Burma Partnership Celebrates Continuing Regional Solidarity for Burma and Embraces the Work Ahead for Progressive Voice.”
