Teenagers continue to serve in both the state military and armed groups, despite new approach by country's leaders.
Thai-Myanmar border - There is resilience in his voice despite his otherwise shy demeanour. As he sits down with us to a cup of instant coffee, on the floor of a traditional wooden house, he appears determined. There is not an inkling of hesitation in his voice, despite a slight quiver. "The truth must be shared with the world," he explains. "And that is why I am speaking about my experiences today, for the first time." Myat Win, a 19-year-old former child soldier, says he was forcibly conscripted into the Myanmar military, taken off a street by a pair of policemen at the tender age of 15 and sent to an army training centre under deceitful promises, and without the knowledge of his family.
According to numerous reports by human rights organisations, many other children of Myanmar have shared Myat Win's fate, while many more may have lost either their futures or their lives upon being forcibly conscripted into the state armed forces. Additionally, an unknown number of child soldiers continue to serve in non-state armed groups, thereby perpetuating the vicious cycle of violence.
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