Child soldier complaints on rise, says ILO

By Than Thike Oo
July 25 - 31, 2011

THE liaison officer in Myanmar for the International Labour Organisation says the number of complaints it receives about child soldiers is directly related to the level of awareness about the ILO’s role.

Mr Steve Marshall said that he believed that most people still did not know that they could submit a complaint to the ILO office about underage recruitment into the military.

“So, we only get an important but still relatively small number of complaints,” he told The Myanmar Times in an interview on July 5. Mr Marshall said that in 2007 the ILO office in Myanmar had received 12 complaints about the recruitment of child soldiers into the Tatmadaw, of whom 10 had been able to return to their families.

In 2008, it received 29 complaints, resulting in the release of 23 children. In 2009, the number of complaints rose to 78, with 62 children being released.

From the start of 2010 to July 2011, 305 complaints were lodged with the office, resulting in 77 children being discharged from the Tatmadaw, with 242 complaints still either being assessed before submission to the government or still being verified by the government investigation.

“This shows good progress. However there is still a long way to go,” Mr Marshall said.
Only those aged over 18 may be recruited by the Tatmadaw.

Mr Marshall said anyone may lodge a complaint to the ILO about underage recruitment as long as they can provide evidence.

“Technically, anybody can complain, but they have to produce sufficient evidence to prove it,” he said.
The evidence submitted with a complaint is assessed by the ILO with further information being obtained if necessary. The ILO must be satisfied that there is a case to answer before it is submitted to the Adjutant General’s Office for investigation and verification.

“In most cases, if we can prove he is underage and if we can prove he is in the army, he is discharged back to his family fairly quickly,” Mr Marshall said.

He said the ILO had not received any complaints about the families of child soldiers being harassed after they were released.