The United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) has announced that it is investigating cases of child soldier recruitment in Myanmar, as international agreements classify the recruitment of children under 15 for military service as a war crime. According to the Rome Statute, Geneva Conventions, and other international treaties, the recruitment or use of children under 15 in armed conflicts is prohibited and classified as a war crime. Military recruitment refers to attracting and encouraging people to serve in the military, while forced conscription refers to mandatory or compulsory military service. While domestic and international laws generally permit the recruitment or conscription of adults, such recruitment becomes a war crime when it involves children.
The military council has been forcibly recruiting young people across Myanmar as new soldiers, including many children under the age of 15, according to local residents and revolutionary forces’ statements. For example, on June 24, a 15-year-old named Nay Htet Lin was captured as a prisoner of war during the battle at Kan Daung Police Station in Pale Township. He was forcibly recruited while selling barbecue in Yangon and sent to No. 7 Basic Military Training School in Taungdwingyi, where he was forced to undergo five months of training. Similarly, in April 2024, the military arrested 15-year-old Phoe Chit from Ae Chan Thar San Pya village in Tatkon Township, Naypyidaw, for military service. In December 2024, the military also forcibly recruited more than 10 young people, including 15-year-old Phoe Thar Htoo, from Thin Taw Yone village in Minlan Township, Bago Region.
The military council has been conducting extensive recruitment drives across the country since April 2024 under the People’s Military Service Law, opening monthly training courses for new recruits. The IIMM has emphasized that it will not reduce its efforts to investigate serious international crimes committed in Myanmar, regardless of the challenging circumstances. Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIMM, stated that they are working towards ensuring that perpetrators face justice in court, regardless of their ethnicity or political affiliation. The mechanism is investigating cases of child soldier recruitment by both armed groups and non-governmental organizations in Myanmar, demonstrating its commitment to addressing all instances of this serious violation of international law.
