{"id":25159,"date":"2024-04-30T23:55:06","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T15:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/?p=25159"},"modified":"2024-08-12T13:18:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T05:18:54","slug":"statement-of-former-representatives-of-the-asean-commission-on-the-promotion-and-protection-of-the-rights-of-women-and-children-acwc-on-the-child-rights-situation-in-myanmar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/statement-of-former-representatives-of-the-asean-commission-on-the-promotion-and-protection-of-the-rights-of-women-and-children-acwc-on-the-child-rights-situation-in-myanmar\/","title":{"rendered":"Statement of Former Representatives of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) on the Child Rights Situation in Myanmar"},"content":{"rendered":"

We, the former Representatives of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), strongly condemn the ongoing human rights catastrophe in Myanmar and urge the UN, ASEAN, and key governments to take urgent and appropriate corresponding measures.<\/p>\n

Over the past years, intensified fighting between the military and ethnic armed groups have left thousands of civilians killed, seriously injured, detained, and displaced from their homes and communities. Just recently, an airstrike on a school in Myanmar\u2019s Karenni state killed four children and injured at least 15 others.[1]<\/a> Another airstrike by the military also killed civilians, including nine children, as they gathered to attend church last January.[2]<\/a> The attacks on civilians show no signs of stopping.<\/p>\n

The international community must turn its eye to what is happening in Myanmar. Attacks against schools, churches, and especially children are a grave violation of children\u2019s rights and international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n

As of February 2024, more than 2.7 million people have been internally displaced in Myanmar and are living in unwarranted conditions. More than 18.6 people, including six million children, are in need of humanitarian aid in 2024 more than 18 times the number before the military takeover in 2021.[3]<\/a> As a result, the number of children living in poverty has doubled from 4.7 million in 2017 to 9.9 million in 2022.<\/p>\n

The violence and horrendous attacks on civilians clearly violate the principles in the ASEAN Charter to which Myanmar is a signatory including the adherence to the rule of law, good governance, and respect for and protection of human rights.<\/p>\n

We reiterate the call to hold the Myanmar military accountable for the violence in Myanmar, to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to facilitate continuous dialogue among all concerned parties, and ultimately save and protect the children at all costs.<\/p>\n

Specifically, we urge the following:<\/p>\n