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UN and Human Rights Watch condemn conscription of children and abuses under junta rule
June 21, 2025 – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Myanmar’s military junta to immediately cease the recruitment and use of child soldiers, citing a sharp rise in violations against children since the 2021 coup. The appeal follows the junta’s implementation of mandatory conscription earlier this year, which has exacerbated the practice.
“The Myanmar military has a long and appalling history of using children as porters, guides, and in combat roles,” said Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at HRW. “The junta should immediately stop using child soldiers and cooperate with UN officials to release all child recruits from their forces.”
On June 19, UN Secretary-General António Guterres released a report detailing 2,138 grave violations against children in Myanmar in 2024 alone. These include the verified recruitment of 482 children into military service and the detention of an additional 47 by Myanmar’s armed forces. The UN also documented the killing or maiming of 1,261 children, along with widespread reports of sexual violence, abductions, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
The secretary-general expressed deep concern and urged Myanmar to adhere to its 2012 joint action plan with the UN, which committed the country to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers. That commitment has been systematically ignored since the military seized power in 2021, ousting the democratically elected civilian government.
Fighting has intensified across the country as the junta continues to clash with ethnic armed organizations and civilian resistance groups. In February 2024, the junta invoked the 2010 People’s Military Service Law, which mandates conscription for men and women aged 18 and older, for terms of up to five years. Since April, the military has mobilized 14 batches of conscripts.
However, according to military defectors, underage recruitment has surged in recent months—especially from the seventh conscription round onward—often accompanied by forced detentions and abductions.
Rights organizations also allege that the military is using corrupt recruitment practices, including falsifying birth records or ignoring the ages of conscripts. In particular, HRW highlighted the forced enlistment of stateless Rohingya boys and men, who are ineligible for conscription under Myanmar law, which applies only to citizens.
The junta has reportedly used coercion, including threats, abductions, and false promises of citizenship, to compel Rohingya participation in military service.
Bauchner urged governments with influence over Myanmar’s military and armed factions to increase pressure on the junta and support efforts to protect vulnerable children.
“Donors should work with local organizations to ensure support, rehabilitation, and reintegration for all children victimized by Myanmar’s armed conflict,” she said.
As international condemnation mounts, rights advocates stress the urgent need for coordinated global action to protect children in Myanmar and hold those responsible for abuses to account.
