When there is no one willing to fight the war, who do you turn to? In the case of Myanmar/Burma, they have been turning to the children, and with the worlds largest child army, their numbers are only looking to increase. Coercion, threats and blackmail are some of the tactics used to recruit child soldiers, which the military is desperate to increase as the ranks dwindle. Since the clamp down on protesters, the government has experience a substantial decline in the army ranks, and is now even offering incentives to current soldiers to forcibly recruit children from the streets.
News Report and Interview Human Rights Watch on the issue:
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While sadly the use of child soldiers in Myanmar/Burma is not isolated, Human Rights Watch claims that they are the worst in means of brutality and forcible recruitment. Brutality is not limited to conscription techniques, but once a soldier children face harsh conditions, brutal leadership, and many even face being forced to commit atrocities against other children.
Children forced into the army speak out:
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Human Rights Watch Report, Sold to Be Soldiers: The Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers in Burma
The use of child soldiers in Myanmar/Burma, is not a new story, nor is it limited to that of the military. The long standing civil war has entangled children in its deadly and violent path for years. Opposition militia forces have been fighting with the use of child soldiers, many of which have been forcibly recruited, and some of which have also willingly volunteered.
You may also be interested in Human Rights Watch's previous report on the situation of child soldiers in Burma/Myanmar
“MY GUN WAS AS TALL AS ME” – Child Soldiers in Burma, which gives good incite and background into both the national army and the opposition forces.
One thing is clear, children are the largest pawns in the ongoing struggle, which continues to tear the country apart. The government of Myanmar has continuously ignored, and denied the use of child soldiers among their military ranks, and the international community can no longer sit idly by as children are used as weapons of war.
