I just did a project on the situation in Burma for my English class and I was shocked by what I found. Basically, ever since Burma (AKA Myanmar) has gained independence, there has been a struggle between various ethnic groups and the military Junta. It's a very complex situation, but I will share the basics with you of some of the horrors that I have found out about. 1. The most shocking thing I discovered was that Burma condones rape of women as a weapon of war. The military Junta has been notorious for raping women of all ages, as young as 12. In 2002, over 600 cases of rape committed by Junta officers were reported. 2. Burma has the highest number of child soldiers in there army. I could be wrong (i'm too lazy to look at my notes right now), but I think I read that there were over 70,000 minors fighting in the Burmese army. These childeren are forcibly recruited, kidnapped in public places such as train stations. Children who do not cooperate with the kidnappings are often beaten to death or shot. Women are also kidnapped, and many of these women are used as human minesweepers. 3. The number of people infected with AIDS/HIV and malaria is also shocking. I don't remember the exact figures, but I do remember it was just horrible. To make matters worth, Doctors Without Borders had to remove some volunteers stationed in Burma due to lack of funding. Just trying to raise awareness to the atrocities going on in Burma.
