Myanmar's civil war has seen the widespread recruitment of child soldiers by all sides. A UN report accused the Myanmar junta and its allies of , many in combat roles. The junta claimed to have discharged 93 minors from military service, but reports indicate that over 1,000 child soldiers have been returned to families in more than a decade.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), there are approximately 152 million child laborers worldwide, with 73 million of them engaged in hazardous work. Asia is home to a significant proportion of these child laborers, with countries such as India, China, and Indonesia having some of the highest numbers. A study by the UNICEF found that in 2019, 1 in 5 children in Asia were engaged in child labor.
Despite the grim picture, there is significant ongoing action to combat these crimes.
