The use of children as soldiers in Burma goes back a long time and the UN agencies responsible have been attempting to bring about a change in the practices of the Tatmadaw for many years – unsuccessfully. In order to placate the growing international concern over the matter, the junta established a new committee – ‘The Committee for Prevention of Military Recruitment of Underage Children’ – which comprises almost entirely of Tatmadaw officers from the SPDC and their sycophants in the justice department (rather ineptly named, as it should be the Ministry of Miscarriage of Justice, Perjury, Cover-up and Dishonesty). This ‘whitewash’ committee has been established to issue counter statements in the discredited state media whenever yet another independent well researched report is issued stating the facts about child soldiers in Burma. Its efforts in reducing the number of child soldiers in Burma is pathetic. It makes grand statements of intent, but does nothing to actually stop the practices of the Tatmadaw, or to rehabilitate those children already drafted or coerced into the armed forces.

The junta hosted a meeting with the UN Special Representative earlier this year to discuss ‘progress’ with the purpose of establishing mechanisms for the UN to monitor and report on child soldier issues. The government hosted the meetings and made statements in the media about how they are working with the UN on the issue. But the reality is that the whitewash committee are not doing any of the things that need to be done – in stopping the recruitment, re-integration of child soldiers into society, publicising official government policy and applicable laws, and punishing those responsible for infringements. The high level meeting also highlighted the difficulties that the UN mission in Burma has in undertaking its monitoring work. For instance, in order to visit many areas where the situation and the abuses of and by children in so-called conflict zones, required official permission (typically taking two weeks to arrange) and the need to accompanied by a government official. As with every other aspect of the junta’s crimes, they aim to keep a strict control and limit on what outsiders can see and hear – the continuing use of child soldiers is just another of their heinous crimes that they don’t want the world to know about.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) have recently issued a 151 page report (and a 17 page summary) detailing the issues of child soldiers in Burma, highlighting the coercion and corruption that exist in recruitment. Children as young as ten are practically abducted off the streets in similar fashion as child traffickers pimp for the sex trade (the exploitation of children in both these areas are practiced in Burma with the connivance of the Tatmadaw and other corrupt government officials out to make a ‘quick buck’). Boys are sold from one battalion to another in order to help commanders make up their target numbers. Their training and lives in the armed forces are hard, violent and degrading; they are the bottom of the command chain, forced to undertake armed conflict and human rights abuses in the borderlands, put into cities to kill monks and pushed from pillar to post. Those who escape are treated as deserters – prison sentences or unlawful execution for those escaping from conflict zones.

Burma’s problems are not just about the power struggle between NLD and the junta. It is the universal lack of freedom and democracy for all people from all walks of life. Gambari should not be feeling elated with just seeing a glimpse of hope for dialogue for NLD and the junta. He, and Pinheiro, should put serious efforts to help relieve all human rights abuses in Burma; and the issue of Child Soldiers is one very important topic on which Gambari & Pinheiro need to ask a lot of tough questions to the junta during their visits to Burma.

We are not just ‘disappointed’ at the junta’s action in dismissing the UN resident from Rangoon, we are disgusted – at the arrogant, aggressive petulance of a rogue regime that doesn’t care what the world thinks of them – as long as they can stay in power and still buy their guns and toys. World leaders need to give the junta the message straight. Its time to take the gloves off.

It is high time that the UN representatives take off their rose tinted glasses and stop listening to the platitudes and lies of the state media, and lay it on the line for the generals. The envoys should make it clear to the junta that the time for tough action is approaching and that they will each personally be held responsible for the war crimes and human rights crimes against humanity. There is no more time for pussy-footing around and making one small concession after another, only to be rescinded or ignored by the junta at the earliest opportunity. The time for action is now. Wake Up, Gambari, Wake Up Pinheiro – these criminals need to be told that they are criminals and that the people of Burma want justice, and they want it now. The children whose lives have been grossly distorted by recruitment into a terror organisation calling itself the ‘armed forces’ want and deserve a childhood, an education and a place in a new Burma.

RESOURCES

• Visit of the Special Representative for Children & Armed Conflict to Myanmar (25-29 June 2007)

• Sold to Be Soldiers: The Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers in Burma

• Selling & Buying Child Soldiers for 20$ in Burma

• Burma: Children Bought and Sold by Army Recruiters

• Burma conscripting child soldiers

• Burma forces children into combat as adults desert army

• Burma army ‘recruiting children’

• In Myanmar, child soldiers bought and sold – report

• Burma: Children Bought and Sold by Army Recruiters

• Burmese army using 10-year-olds to replace deserters

• Burmese army ‘abducts thousands of children’

• Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers

• Recruiting or using child soldiers