Myanmar to stop recruiting child soldiers

The Myanmar military has reiterated its strong commitment to end recruitment of children in the army, a media report said Wednesday.

Forty-two child soldiers were recently released from military service and returned to their families, taking the total number of child soldiers released from the armed forces in the last one year to 418, Xinhua reported.

Since June 2012, 595 children have been discharged, of which 70 percent were released in the last 12 months.

Under the ministry of social welfare relief and resettlement, various partners provide immediate support for the reintegration of these children, with an access to education and vocational training, and income generating activities.

"As children continue to suffer from the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, such efforts must continue, intensify and be more systematic to provide children with effective protection against any form of abuse," said Bertrand Bainvel, UNICEF representative in Myanmar and co-chair of the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR).

Under a programme to protect under-age children from taking military services, Myanmar signed a 18-month action plan with the CTFMR in 2012 and renewed it to another six months in Dec 2013.

The country formed the Committee for Prevention against Recruiting Minors into Army in Jan 2005.

Myanmar's National Committee on the Rights of Child has also pledged to protect the rights of children in the nation.