Myanmar military releases 42 more child soldiers

Myanmar military has released 42 more child soldiers who have been recruited and used in military services, according to a press release of United Nations Children' s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday.

The 42 minors constitute the 9th batch freed by the army and were handed back to their families since 2012.

Myanmar armed forces last released 80 child soldiers from military service in Yangon in November last year.

With the current release, the total number of such minors discharged from the military service reached 418 from January 2014 to January 2015, the release said.

"Within one-year period of time, there is a record number of children coming out of the armed forces, reflecting an accelerated effort of the Myanmar government and the armed forces to put an end to the harmful practice of recruiting and using children," said Renata Lok-Dessallien, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, and co-chair of the CTFMR.

Since June 2012, 595 children and young people have been discharged, of which 70 percent were released in the last 12 months.

The release stated that efforts have been made in 2014 by the Ministry of Education, which now ensures that children discharged from the armed forces could attend school at any point in the school year without delay.

"As children continue to suffer from the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, such efforts must continue, intensify and be more systematic to provide children with effective protection against any form of abuse," said Bertrand Bainvel, UNICEF representative to Myanmar and co-chair of the CTFMR.

Under a program of protecting under-age children from taking military services, Myanmar signed an 18-month Action Plan with the United Nations' Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting in 2012 and renewed to another six months in December 2013. Endi