November 20th is World Children’s Day. It is often said that children are God’s gift to the world – little gifts filled with hopes and dreams that are to be the future. However, very little is thought about the children in areas of conflict, especially the ones that experience violence and resulting trauma at such young ages. The devastation wrought by the Burmese military forced the youth of Burma to mature and become adults so early. USCB reached out to youth of various ages and locations to see how their lives were impacted by the Burmese military regime.
Najmul and Jasmin – Cox’s Bazaar
Before fleeing to Bangladesh, two Rohingya children, Najmul (14 years old) and Jasmin (11 years old), share that life in Burma before the genocidal campaign was filled with challenges. The brutal government deprived the Rohingya of any opportunities and basic rights, including denying the children’s access to education and restrictions on travel because of they are Muslim.
Unfortunately, life in the refugee camps is no different. Najmul shares that since coming to the camps, there is nothing to do since they have lost everything. He shares a more hopeless perspective that because he has no opportunities in the camps, they have nothing left other than to be a refugee. Jasmin likens the refugee camps to prisons and sees herself as a prisoner instead of a refugee. Both express fear for their lives as the day-to-day camp situation grows more dire since there are more problems and no solutions.
Photo cred: Pressenza
Despite the many hardships, the children still maintain a slim glimmer of hope. Najmul wants to be a doctor and help his fellow Rohingya live healthy lives. Jasmin wants to be involved in the government to help better the situation for the Rohingya. However, because of the life they were forced to live, the children still see the reality of their situation. The children recognize they are so far removed from better opportunities that the likelihood of fully realizing their dreams is very small because they are Rohingya.
Both youths express that they do not feel safe in the camps as they are forced to live in fear. They demand the international community implement definitive and tangible solutions to ensure the camps safety and bring them closer to freedom from the life of a refugee. The children do not want to be refugees since there is no future in being a refugee. No one wants to be a refugee.
Hla Min – Yangon
As the interviews move to central Burma, youths share the changes they seek to make as they cast aside their hopes and dreams to mobilize against the military regime. We meet 17-year-old Hla Min* from Yangon. He shared that before the coup, life was not frantic as it is now. However, ten months into the coup, he expresses concern for his and his family’s safety on a daily basis. Going out into the streets is frightening at times, because he worries about what would happen if he came across soldiers and they simply arrested him. A concern that is well-founded since released detainees shared stories of neglect, abuse, and torture in detention centers. Hla Min would not receive preferential treatment for his age.
Before the coup, Hla Min wanted to be a certified architect. Now he aspires to do his own part in the fight against the military regime. Since the inception of Youths of Tomorrow Myanmar, he aims to get the organization world-wide recognition as an NGO. He wants to see Burma become a true democracy, with more representation from the LGBTQIAP+ community, ethnic minorities, and other impacted communities.
While building up the Youths of Tomorrow Myanmar, Hla Min and his friends began many anti-military initiatives, such as participating in protest marches, joining the Civil Disobedience Movement, and forming Student Unions. He notes that others have joined the People Defense Forces to overthrow the military dictatorship.
Photo Cred: The Wall Street Journal
Hla Min recognizes that he lacks the authority to persuade government bodies or the international community to overthrow the military regime. However, he wants the international community to help raise awareness and take actions, such as signing petitions or urging your respective government bodies to support the people of Burma.
Mang – Chin state/US
Even in the US, youths from Burma are mobilizing to help their friends and family back home in Burma. 17-year-old Mang* is from Chin state, but now resides in the United States. Before the coup, Mang was able to communicate with friends and family without difficulty. However, since the February 1st Coup, it has become much harder to contact anyone. Desperate for the world to know what was happening in Burma, Mang shares that many Burmese in her area protested like those back home and shared any news about what was happening on social media. While life continued normally in the US, Mang watched her parents and many others struggle to eat and sleep due to the constant worry about loved ones back home. Now that the Burmese military is attacking Chin state relentlessly, she cannot help but worry if her friends and family will be victims next.
Photo Cred: U.S. Campaign for Burma
Mang dreamed of becoming an architect, but since the February 1st Coup, she has started her own nonprofit that helps those in need get access to education, as well as bettering lives, both locally and globally. In the beginning, she felt powerless living in another country, unable to join her people in protest against the military regime. However, it encouraged her to find different ways to show support to the people of Burma and fight the illegal junta. Mang joined an organization to help spread awareness through social media and provide tutoring to students in Burma. She helped her church fundraise for the Civil Disobedience Movement by designing totes bags, which were promoted through social media so other people outside the community could help support the cause. Mang is currently leading a project with the Asian Student Union at her school to create a video and plan a fundraiser to help spread awareness within the student body.
Much like the other youths interviewed, Mang wants the world to listen and support the people of Burma. She urges everyone to rally their political leaders in their respective countries to not support the brutally corrupt military, but rather support the people of Burma.
Unfortunately, USCB was unable to conduct interviews with youths in the ethnic states as interviewees soon went dark after the initial contact. These interviews show that no matter where they are located, the youths of Burma express the same desire and wish from the international community: raise awareness of the atrocities committed by the Burmese junta, support the people of Burma, and implement tangible action that will provide lasting solutions. The crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese military junta forced the youths of Burma to grow up in a world full of violence. Whether it is in order to survive or mobilize in their respective areas, their eyes are wide open to the brutality of the military regime. They ask the international community to recognize the same brutality and support the people of Burma.
The United States and international community needs to develop a comprehensive policy rooted in human rights and democratic values, which means that justice and accountability should be one of the key aspects to bring about democratic change to Burma. Only if, and when, the Burmese military junta is brought to justice and held accountable for the heinous crimes they have committed; the children of Burma’s future will be as dark as usual. The Biden administration should take a decisive action and recognize Rohingya genocide and declare it as it is. These children’s bravery, resiliency, and efforts to keep making their dreams of becoming more educated so that they can contribute back to their communities should be enough for the administration and international community to help fulfill the aspirations of the children of Burma.
*Name changed to protect their identity.
*Feature Photo: Rohingya children in a IDP camp – Sittwe, Rakhine.
Photo cred: VOA
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