Child rights violations in Myanmar surge since coup, says UN

People clean debris from damaged buildings in the aftermath of an earthquake on March 28, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Monday, April 7, 2025. -- AP Photo

YANGON/ UNITED NATIONS (AFP): UN chief Antonio Guterres, in a report released Friday, denounced a dramatic surge in the abuse of children's rights in Myanmar since the country's 2021 coup, particularly through forced recruitment by the military.

The report, which covers the period from July 2020 to the end of 2023, confirmed over 5,140 "grave violations" committed against more than 4,000 children, some as young as three months old.