Myanmar Junta Detained Children as Young as 2 and Subjected Them to Torture, Sexual Abuse

Strategic Insights -

Children as young as two years old were detained and subjected to torture, sexual abuse, and beatings in Myanmar, a United Nations-led investigation has found. The investigation, covering the period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, uncovered evidence of "war crimes and crimes against humanity committed" in Myanmar with increasing frequency since the 2021 military coup. The report draws on over 1,300 sources, including eyewitness testimonies, photographs, videos, documents, maps, and forensic evidence.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) found evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including mass imprisonment without due process, indiscriminate airstrikes, and torture.
  • Children aged two to 17 years were detained and subjected to torture, ill treatment, or sexual and gender-based crimes, often in place of their parents who were suspected of being associated with opposition groups or movements.
  • The report uncovered a pattern of systematic torture in Myanmar's military-run detention facilities, using methods such as electric shocks, strangulations, and gang rapes.
  • Investigators identified individual members and units of the security forces linked to operations at specific detention sites, including direct perpetrators of sexual and gender-based crimes and senior commanders.
  • The military-backed government has consistently denied carrying out attacks on civilians and has not responded to over two dozen requests from the UN team for information about the alleged crimes.

Statistics:

  • The investigation covered a period of one year, drawing on over 1,300 sources, including nearly 600 eyewitness testimonies.
  • The report found evidence of a rise in mass imprisonment without due process, with tens of thousands of people displaced since the military coup.
  • The military-backed government has not responded to over two dozen requests from the UN team for information about the alleged crimes.
  • The report highlights a continued increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities committed in Myanmar, with over 1,000 sources documenting the violence.

Sources:

  • United Nations, "Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar"
  • [The Independent]
  • [Associated Press]