ReliefWeb

Following a State of Emergency declared on 1 February 2021, mass protests began taking place throughout Myanmar. Many individuals taking to the streets are children and young people, peacefully expressing their opinions.

In recent days, security forces have escalated their actions on peaceful protestors, with children and young people among those killed, seriously injured, and arrested.

Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children and young people are afforded special protection, and their safety must be prioritized and safeguarded.

ChildFund strongly urges the security forces to refrain from continued use of violence against all peaceful protestors, especially children and young people, to prevent further harm.

During this extremely difficult period, ChildFund stands in solidarity with children, their families, and civil society in Myanmar.

Founded in 1938, ChildFund is a child-focused global development organization that helps nearly 23 million children and family members in 70 countries. Twelve child-focused development agencies are part of the global network ChildFund Alliance. The members work to end violence and exploitation against children and to overcome poverty and the underlying conditions that prevent children from achieving their full potential. We work in partnership with children and their communities to create lasting change, and the participation of children themselves is a key component of our approach. Our commitment, resources, innovation, knowledge and expertise serve as a powerful force to transform the lives of children.