UN begins dialogue with Burma on child soldier
http://www.mizzima.com/MizzimaNews/News/2007/June/74-June-2007.html 

Mungpi
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

June 29, 2007 - A dialogue has been initiated between UN and Burma on the issue of child soldiers, the UN special envoy on children and armed conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy said concluding her five-day visit to Burma today.

"The Government [of Burma] responded favourably to an on-going dialogue with the United Nations," said Coomaraswamy, who met several senior junta officials, during her official visit to Burma.

The Under-secretary General was in Burma on a mission to set-up a monitoring and reporting mechanism on abuses committed against children by the military junta as well as different insurgent groups in the country.

The Burmese government has agreed to appoint a high level "focal point" from the Ministry of Social Welfare to engage with the UN Country Team, especially the UNICEF, on all issues related to children and armed conflict, the special envoy said in a press release today.

While the UN envoy made optimistic noises on her visit to the military-ruled country, child rights expert said the agreement needs a comprehensive follow-up in order to effectively control abuse of children in Burma.

Aung Myo Min, Director of Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB), said while it is good to know that the junta has agreed to set up a monitoring mechanism, but it depends on how it will be followed up.

"Looking at past experiences with the junta, there is concern that the junta is handing out just empty promises," said Min.

Child soldiers are the products of years of civil war and in order to effectively control it, the root cause ? civil war ? needs be resolved, Min added.

"Just by stopping children from forcibly or voluntarily joining the military will not help solve the problem. Children will continue to remain in the military camps so long as there is a burning civil war," Min said.

Min, who did a comprehensive research on child soldiers in Burma and released a report titled ? Despite Promises: Child Soldiers in Burma's SPDC Armed Forces ? in September 2006, said while the exact number of child soldiers cannot be determined due to extreme difficulties in access, there are a minimum of 20,000 children deployed in Burma's armed forces and in rebel camps.

However, New York based Human Rights Watch in 2002 said there are at least 70,000 child soldiers in Burma's armed forces.

The UN secretary general's report on the situation of Burma's child soldier will be examined by the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in November 2007.

"This report will provide us with a clearer understanding of the situation of children affected by the conflict in Myanmar. Updated information on practices by all parties listed in the Security Council report for using child soldiers should lead to engagement with the armed forces and armed groups in order to ensure the release of the children and their proper reintegration into their communities," the Sri Lankan diplomat said.

Min said the junta, as a step in its agreement with the world body, should genuinely start a reintegration programme and create an atmosphere where the children can restart living as children. Moreover, the junta should allow the UN and other experts to independently investigate the situation in Burma.

However, Min said the most important factor needed to halt the recruitment of minors in armed forces is to put an end to the on going civil war in Burma.

"Unless the junta is serious in solving the root causes of armed conflicts in Burma, there will be no end to the use of child soldiers despite the efforts," Min added.