Kai Chen. Children Affected by Armed Conflict in the Borderlands of Myanmar: 2021 and Beyond. Singapore: Springer, 2024.
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Affected by Armed Conflict in the Borderlands of Myanmar: 2021 and Beyond adopts an empirical and policy approach to understanding the current status of children affected by armed conflict in the region.Myanmar's history is deeply scarred by decades of internal conflict that have been raging -in one form or another-since the country's independence from the United Kingdom in 1948.These struggles have persisted since the nation's independence, with ongoing clashes between the military and an alphabet soup of armed groups representing many ethnic or political minorities (Kramer 2015; Cheesman and Farrelly 2016; Anwary 2020).This turmoil has had a devastating impact on Myanmar's children, especially among ethnic minorities living in the regions outside the de facto control of the Burman-dominated regime and its security services.Children are subjected to immense risks, including forced displacement, constant exposure to brutal vio lence, and the breakdown of essential services like education and health care.Tragically, many children are killed or suffer life-altering injuries from land mines and air strikes.Furthermore, the conflicts have led to a surge in child soldier recruitment and widespread malnutrition, leav ing an entire generation traumatized and robbed of their fundamental rights.This book seeks to shed light on recent trends in these conflicts.It looks at the case of the borderland regions of Myanmar, focusing specifically on changes since the February 2021 regime change.At that time, the Tatmadaw (Armed Forces of Myanmar) seized power, overthrowing the democratically elected government and reversing a period of democratic progress.The event plunged Myanmar into widespread civil unrest, armed conflict, and a severe humanitarian crisis, devastating the country's economy and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.As with any instance of political turmoil, the impacts were felt most deeply by the most vulnerable groups, of which children were no exception.
Source: Southeast Asian Studies
Author: William Plowright
Institution: Durham University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7133485155