"Nightmare scenario": Myanmar forces have killed at least 43 kids since coup, Save the Children says
The vicious crackdown by Myanmar's military following its toppling of the civilian government in a February 1 coup is taking a devastating toll on the country's children. Since the junta seized control, at least 43 children have been killed by the armed forces, according to humanitarian organization Save the Children.
More than a third of those victims were under the age of 16, including a 13-year-old boy who the organization said was reportedly shot in the head when he tried to run away from security forces. The youngest known victim was a 6-year-old girl, the organization said.
"This is a nightmare scenario unfolding," Save the Children said in a statement on Thursday. "Innocent children have had their futures brutally and needlessly snatched away from them... Children have witnessed violence and horror. It is clear that Myanmar is no longer a safe place for children."
The organization said that beyond the physical harm, the state of violence is having a "deep impact" on the mental health of the millions of children who live in Myanmar.
As of Saturday, 557 people have been killed by armed forces since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has been tracking the violence since the takeover two months ago.
"The terrorist junta group use live ammunition during the day and night, they capture and violently assault," AAPP wrote in its daily briefing on Saturday.
Dozens of videos on social media appear to corroborate the claims of wanton violence by the security forces, but civilians across the country have defiantly continued to take to the streets in protest against the military's takeover, demanding a return to civilian rule and the release of imprisoned leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar news agency Myanmar Now tweeted an image of youth dressed as ghosts protesting against the regime on Friday. According to the agency, the signs the individuals held said, "hell is waiting for you, soldiers," and "even ghosts don't want to live under this dictatorship."
On Friday, United Nation Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews said in a tweet that the junta had once again cut wireless internet access and that its forces were "deploying rocket propelled grenades, machine guns & other weapons of war against the people of Myanmar."
Andrews continued his pleas for more help for the embattled civilian population of the country on Saturday, tweeting that "the failure of the UN Security Council to even consider a strong resolution on Myanmar this week was regrettable."
"Coordinated international action to support those under siege & hold the junta accountable cannot wait," he said.
