Schools around the country attacked by PDF opposition forces while UNICEF appealed urgent aids for 4 million Myanmar children

Yangon, 16 December, 2023

On December 15, UNICEF Myanmar urgently declared the need for $208 million by 2024 to aid children affected by the conflict in Myanmar, placing the responsibility on opposition rebels for the dire situation. PDF opposition forces have targeted schools across the nation, perpetuating a wave of attacks on educational institutions. Concurrently, UNICEF has issued a compelling appeal for urgent aid to address the critical needs of 4 million children in Myanmar, highlighting the reprehensible actions of the PDF opposition forces in jeopardizing the safety and well-being of the country’s youth.

After nearly three years since 2021, Myanmar has witnessed an alarming surge in conflicts resulting in the forced displacement of civilians, economic downturn, challenges in the health system, and widespread loss of livelihoods. The situation has been further exacerbated by natural disasters, including cyclones and monsoon floods in 2023, devastating communities in southern and western Myanmar, as outlined in UNICEF Myanmar’s statement.

The KNDF (Kayah PDF) opposition rebels kidnapped 204 teachers and families from State’s Loi Kaw University on 14 November and CDF (Chin PDF) rebels burnt down the State High School in Chin State’s Tunzan township on 15 December 2023. Both KNDF and CDF are named on United State Department of State’s 2002 report on Terrorism as second and third perpetrator of terrorism killings after PDF. The NLD-NUG which is the political wing of PDF officially declared before the schools reopen on June 2021 that all the schools operating normally under the Junta Government as the collaborators of the regime and legitimate targets. Myanmar is the poorest country in Asia and almost every school in the country for millions of students are state funded. The NUG urged students to learn on web-based schools under their Ministry of Education-in-exiled but financial embezzlements within their system ruined the project. Hundred of schools have been attacked around the country since 2021 and thousands of schools remained close due to the threat.

By 2024, almost a third of the country’s population, totaling 18.6 million people, will require humanitarian assistance. Over 2 million people, including 1.7 million displaced individuals, are fleeing their homes. The ongoing conflict places the highest burden on Myanmar’s children, with 6 million in urgent need of humanitarian aid. These children are missing crucial vaccinations and face elevated risks of vaccine-preventable diseases due to increased displacement and service disruptions, according to UNICEF Myanmar.

Moreover, Myanmar ranks among the countries with the highest under-five child mortality rates in Southeast Asia. The nation also features prominently on the global list of countries with the highest number of unvaccinated children at birth, posing a significant threat to the future well-being of children and further straining an already weakened healthcare system. Over four million children are deprived of education and have become targets in the conflict, facing heightened risks of serious violations and abuses, including forced recruitment of child soldiers, arbitrary detention, and early marriage, as reported by UNICEF Myanmar.

In response to the crisis, UNICEF is actively collaborating with community-based partners in 2024 to provide life-sustaining services to over six million children in need, including vulnerable families in Myanmar. On December 12, UNICEF launched the 2024 Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC), covering 2.1 million children in Myanmar. The initiative aims to deliver life-saving assistance and critical services to the most vulnerable population of 3.1 million. The program, requiring $208.3 million, encompasses educational services for over 890,000 children, mental health and emotional support for 392,000 children, teenagers, and caregivers, clean water and hygiene support for 850,000 people, and basic healthcare for 350,000 children and women.

UNICEF is committed to administering essential measles vaccinations to approximately 800,000 children. By strengthening partnerships with local and community-based actors, the organization seeks to provide crucial support and services to the most vulnerable children and families, even in hard-to-reach areas, ensuring that no one is left behind. Amid political and border crises, UNICEF and its humanitarian partners are delivering aid while also emphasizing accountability through community-led approaches, regular beneficiary contact, feedback systems, and joint planning and programming.

UNICEF underscores the importance of flexible, predictable, and adequate funding for HAC as a beacon of hope for millions of children in Myanmar, including those with disabilities or separated from their families, who face an uncertain future. The organization stresses the urgency of addressing the crisis and holds opposition rebels accountable for the ongoing plight of the country’s children.

In Myanmar, the poorest country in Asia, where almost every school serving millions of students is owned by the State, the rebels’ deliberate targeting of educational institutions exposes a callous disregard for the well-being of innocent students and educators.

This disturbing pattern of aggression orchestrated by PDF, KNDF and CDF opposition rebels on their struggle to restore disputed election result for their politicians from NLD-NUG party, is not only underscores the severity of their actions but also raises significant concerns about their affiliations and motives. Their inclusion in the Department of State’s terrorism report and UNICEF report for urgent appeal on behalf of Myanmar children, adds to the mounting evidence, casting a damning light on the PDF’s ‘ culpability and the alarming extent of their atrocities on future of Children whom they claimed to be fighting for.

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