Committee Meeting: Prevention of recruitment of child soldiers

Committee on the Prevention of Recruitment of Child Soldiers held its meeting at the Ministry of Defence on Thursday.

Committee Chairman Union Minister General Tun Aung attended the meeting and made a speech. The Union Minister said the committee, established in 2004, continues to work to prevent the recruitment of anyone under the age of 18 and to protect children's rights.

He noted that under the 2012 Joint Action Plan with the Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR), only 16 cases remain under review out of 2,377 suspected underage recruitment cases reported between 2012 and June 2026.

He also said that since the People’s Military Service Law came into effect in February 2024, authorities have screened recruits to prevent underage enlistment. A total of 113 people under the age of 18, who were mistakenly called up during the first 24 military service batches, have been returned to their parents or guardians.

The meeting reviewed ongoing efforts to prevent underage recruitment and called for continued awareness campaigns and strict verification procedures to ensure that no minors are recruited into military service.