YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s army released 109 children from its
military ranks on Thursday in its single biggest discharge of child soldiers,
but boys are still being illegally recruited from poor families, the United
Nations said.
Myanmar has for years been listed among countries where
children have been recruited to fight – both by government forces and rebels.
The military ran the country for 49 years and was condemned
internationally for human rights abuses including the use of child soldiers.
Bertrand Bainvel, head of the U.N. Children’s Fund in
Myanmar, said the military wants to professionalise its ranks and the presence
of child soldiers may block military cooperation with countries that could
provide assistance.
A reformist, semi-civilian government that took over in 2011
has been working with the United Nations to get children out of the military.
It has released 472 service since June 2012 including Thursday’s discharge,
which was the largest yet, according to the United Nations.
Bainvel said recruitment continues at a decreased rate and that most young recruits come from poor families seeking the income that a son in the army can provide.
Recruiting most often takes place in the two largest cities,
Yangon and Mandalay, and is often facilitated by civilian brokers who forge
identification documents, making it difficult to determine how many child
soldiers remain enlisted.
The United Nations said seven ethnic minority guerrilla
forces, which have fought or are still fighting the government, were also
using child soldiers.
using child soldiers.
Source: Reuters.
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