The United Nations said on Friday that Myanmar unprecedently has the highest number of civilian causalities from anti-personnel landmines, with children making up over a third of these numbers. UN experts have called for adherence to international law, warning that the situation is dire for Myanmar’s children.

The Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor’s 20 November report recorded 1,003 landmine causalities in Myanmar, with civilians accounting for 84% and children accounting for over 32%. It reported that Myanmar had limited access to programs that assist landmine victims:

Behind these disturbing casualty statistics are people trying to rebuild lives after the devastating impacts of mines. Far too many victims cannot access adequate medical care, rehabilitation services, or other support.

The Cluster Munition Coalition released a report earlier this month detailing Myanmar’s use of cluster munitions and the harm caused to civilians.

The UN said Myanmar’s military junta is subjecting civilians to harassment and blocking access to aid, and in effect, “doubling the impact of its extensive use of landmines to crush nationwide resistance.” The Junta is reportedly “forcing civilians to walk in mine-affected areas in front of its military units.”

By blocking access to aid, victims of landmines cannot access medical care and prosthetics. Harassment has also been reported, where amputees suspected of belonging to resistance movements are forced into hiding, contrary to Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Human Rights Watch interviewed survivors of antipersonnel mine explosions, with one survivor explaining that a mine was planted at her home in 2022. According to a Human Rights Watch report, mines are being planted in civilian areas, including “schools, medical clinics, monasteries and churches, and displacement camps.”

UNICEF highlighted the disproportionate impact on Myanmar children. It reported that this year, “at least 650 children have been killed or maimed”. UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said that “safe spaces” for children have become “limited.” In urging for international law to be upheld, Chaiban said:

I witnessed firsthand the devastating impact on children, exacerbated by ongoing violence and severe climate events… The stories I heard from families were heartbreaking — children cut off from vital services, including healthcare and education, and suffering from the effects of violence and displacement.

Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, reiterated a call to the international community to take stronger action to protect children through “funding, advocacy and solidarity.”

The use of anti-personnel landmines is prohibited under the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, due to its disproportionate impact on civilians and bystanders. This convention resulted in a halt in global production of anti-personnel mines. However, 34 countries are non-signatories, including the United States, Russia, China, South Korea, North Korea, and Myanmar.

Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child protects a child’s right to be safe from violence.