APHR Denounces Myanmar’s Forced Conscription of Youth, Calls for Urgent International Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jakarta, 19 December 2024 – The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) vehemently opposes Myanmar’s military junta’s intensified forced conscription campaign, targeting youth aged 18 to 35. This brutal practice, involving abductions, threats, and violence, not only deprives young people of their agency but also coerces them to take part in a war that is in clear violation of international humanitarian law.

Many of these young conscripts are pushed into committing the Military Junta’s war crimes, including extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, and the targeting of civilians—acts that constitute serious violations of international law and crimes against humanity.

“The junta’s forced conscription is a desperate move to sustain its illegitimate regime at the cost of Myanmar’s future,” said Wong Chen, APHR Board Member and Malaysian Member of Parliament. He adds that “by forcibly enlisting young people, the military is not only trampling on basic freedoms but actively dismantling the foundations of the nation’s progress and hope”.

The junta’s actions come as it suffers strategic losses in multiple key regions, including Rakhine State, where the Arakan Army has made significant advances, and Kachin State, where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and its allies continue to gain ground. Other resistance groups, including the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), have also launched offensive operations, further weakening the junta’s position.

The junta’s ongoing conscription reflects its mounting desperation to meet military needs, while the innocent civilians tragically bear the costs in their lives. Since March 2024, approximately 30,000 individuals have been forcibly conscripted. The regime’s tactics include nighttime raids in urban centers like Yangon and Mandalay, as well as in rural areas, abductions and threats to families, and coercion of local leaders, all occurring across regions under military control, leaving neighborhoods in fear and families powerless to resist. Families, unable to negotiate their way out as they once could, are left helpless. This escalation leaves communities shattered and perpetuates a climate of terror.

“Forced conscription inflicts profound trauma,” said Mercy Chriesty Barends, APHR Co-Chairperson and member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives. “It disrupts education, tears families apart, displaces entire communities, and perpetuates cycles of violence. The militarization of society not only deepens authoritarian control but also fosters a culture of fear and repression that feeds on itself,” she added.

The psychological toll on conscripted youth is severe, with many enduring anxiety, depression, and trauma from violent combat. Families live in constant anguish over their loved ones’ fates, while communities are left devastated as opportunities and futures are stolen.

“ASEAN’s continued inaction is unacceptable,” said Arlene D. Brosas, APHR Board Member and member of the Philippine House of Representatives. Brosas added that, “as a regional bloc, ASEAN must not allow the recruitment of youth under duress to perpetrate violence on behalf of an already illegitimate regime engaged in systematic human rights violations”.

Therefore, APHR calls for decisive action from the international community, particularly ASEAN member states to immediately halt forced conscription, secure the release of coerced individuals, and ensure their safe return to their families. We also implore neighboring countries to provide fleeing youth with a safe space to survive and protect their lives.

Accountability is paramount. APHR urges the documentation and preservation of evidence of these human rights violations to hold the military regime responsible and lay the foundation for future justice. Furthermore, urgent humanitarian aid is essential to support families of conscripts and displaced communities grappling with the fallout of the junta’s oppressive measures.

The forced conscription of Myanmar’s youth is not just a human rights crisis—it is a direct assault on the country’s future. APHR stands firmly in solidarity with the people of Myanmar, calling on the international community to act with urgency and resolve.

Rangsiman Rome, APHR Board Member and member of Thailand’s Parliament expressed that “the world must unite to ensure that these young individuals are not used as instruments of war, but instead are afforded the chance to live in peace, free from the horrors of war and the exploitation of their lives for political or military gain”. ###