More than 1,700 child soldiers reunited with their parents

18 January 2019
More than 1,700 child soldiers reunited with their parents
(File) Myanmar boy wearing a white shirt (R), who was discharged from Myanmar army, loads a bag on his shoulder as he walks near a military man at a gate of military compound  - 18 January 2014. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPA

More than 1,700 child soldiers in Myanmar have been reunited with their parents, and about 800 military officers and other army personnel who recruited and used them have been punished, a defense ministry official said Thursday during a workshop in Naypyidaw to discuss the creation of a complaint mechanism to report instances of forced labour, RFA reported.

Colonel Tun Tun Win of the Ministry of Defense said that the army has taken action against the use of child soldiers in Myanmar based on regulations of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency that sets global labour standards and promotes social protection for workers.

“In response to the ILO’s regulations, the Tatmadaw [Myanmar military] has taken action from 2007 to 2018 against a total of 379 military personnel, including 64 officers and 315 other ranks in accordance with military discipline,” he said.