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Weekly Analysis: Children Targeted in Ongoing Attacks by the Military Junta

Children face extreme vulnerabilities in conflict zones, and those living in Burma are no different. The deteriorating situation on the ground, especially in rural parts of the country, has created long-standing hardships for young people, depriving them of access to education and healthcare, and ultimately denying them a safe childhood. The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has found that since the attempted coup, in targeted areas of Mon State, Karen State and the Tanintharyi Region, 75 children have been killed and 137 wounded.

Several cases documented over the last week continue to show a disturbing trend of children being deprived of their humanity. In a heartbreaking tragedy, four members of a family—including three innocent children—were killed on the evening of July 8, when a heavy artillery shell fired by junta troops struck near their small shelter in a rubber plantation close to Kawhlain Village. Their mother was critically injured.

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Junta Airstrike Destroys School in Min Saw Village, Bilin Township

Min Saw, Bilin Township – July 10, 2025
HURFOM: At around 11:00 a.m. on July 10, junta forces launched an airstrike targeting Min Saw village in Bilin Township, Mon State. According to local residents and the Karen National Union (KNU) in Thaton District, a fighter jet dropped two bombs on the village—first at 11:02 a.m., followed by another five minutes later.

“As soon as people heard the sound of the aircraft, they rushed into bomb shelters. We’ve experienced airstrikes before, so the community has learned to be cautious. Luckily, no one was hurt this time. But sadly, a newly built school was completely destroyed,” shared a resident from Min Saw.

The attack caused significant destruction: two newly constructed school buildings and two civilian homes were damaged. The village, which lies within the administrative area of KNU Brigade 1 in Hpa-an Township, is predominantly inhabited by Karen people.

This is not the first time Min Saw has been targeted from the skies. On April 19, 2025, junta aircraft bombed the local monastery, tragically killing a young Karen novice who was quietly having his alms meal. Two monks and two other villagers were also injured in that attack.

Earlier this year, on March 20, another bombing run devastated the village, destroying three school buildings and four residential homes.

The repeated airstrikes on Min Saw village reflect a growing pattern of violence against civilians in ethnic communities. Education and places of worship—spaces that should be safe—are increasingly caught in the crosshairs.

HURFOM continues to document and condemn these indiscriminate attacks, which not only destroy lives and infrastructure but also severely impact the mental health and well-being of entire communities.

Voice Up: A Gendered Overview of the Human Rights Situation in Southeastern Burma

Issue 2, Volume 2 | 2025, April – June 2025

Introduction

This report is the second issue of a year-long series of quarterly updates and analyses, combining data collected from the ground by the Women and Children’s Rights Project of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM). Last year, HURFOM released four versions of Voice Up, which were also released quarterly. 

Before the attempted coup in Burma on 1 February 2021, HURFOM published similar content in a bulletin-style format under the title ‘Voice Up.’ The Women and Children’s Rights project is of utmost importance as it seeks to monitor the situation of women and children in Mon areas and southern Burma and how it relates to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Field staff collect and distribute information and data to our local and international networks. 

The findings empower and educate women and children in the Mon community by providing information on their rights, as outlined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and encourage them to participate in the struggle to protect and enforce their fundamental freedoms. 

Activities under the project include: 

1. A bi-annual Mon and Burmese-language journal titled: Our Rights Journal;
2. Capacity building, which provides for training in women’s and children’s rights and training trainers in both areas;
3. Data collection and documentation on topics such as the trafficking of women and children and violence against women and child soldiers.
   

The cases of human rights violations perpetrated against women presented in this briefing paper are indicative of decades of military impunity. Despite their many challenges, this report is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the women human rights defenders (WHRDs) leading the documentation efforts.

Situation Overview for Women in Burma: April – June 

The rights of civilians throughout the country have been consistently under attack for decades in Burma, particularly in rural areas where ethnic groups have long faced persecution by the junta forces. Since the failed coup, these conditions have worsened significantly as the borderlands have become battlegrounds. The current challenges faced by women primarily involve safety and security, especially as the Burma Army continues to perpetrate human rights violations, including conflict-related sexual violence, with impunity.

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Women and Children Are Paying the Highest Price in Burma’s Ongoing Crisis

Southeastern Burma

The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has released Issue 2, Volume 2 of its “Voice Up” report, covering the second quarter of 2025, and the findings are heartbreaking. From April to June, women and children across Southeastern Burma have continued to suffer deeply as the military junta escalates its violence.

In just three months, 22 women lost their lives, 80 were injured, and 42 were arbitrarily arrested. The pain did not stop there—23 children were killed, and 32 others were seriously hurt, many during sudden artillery attacks and airstrikes in villages where no fighting was taking place. Download the full media release (PDF)

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“They Were Just a Family Trying to Survive”: Three Children and Their Father Killed by Junta Shelling in Yebyu Township

In a heartbreaking tragedy, four members of a family—including three innocent children—were killed on the evening of July 8, 2025, when a heavy artillery shell fired by junta troops struck near their small shelter in a rubber plantation close to Kawhlain Village. Their mother was critically injured and is now fighting for her life.

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Junta cuts telecommunication network for more than a month in Tenasserim and Long Lone

HURFOM: Since the last week of May, 2025, there have been frequent armed clashes and growing military tension in Tenasserim and Long Lone Township, Tenasserim Division. 

The military junta cut off the telecommunication network, and banned transportation of gasoline in Tenasserim Township.

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Forced Conscription and Military Fees Intensify in Mon State Ahead of Batch 15 Training

HURFOM:In Mon State, the junta is stepping up forced recruitment efforts and collecting military fees from civilians in preparation for the upcoming Batch 15 of the People’s Military Service Training, according to local residents and HURFOM field reports.

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Revolutionary forces announce plan to interrupt what they call ‘junta’s sham election’

HURFOM: The military junta has been preparing to hold an election in the third week of December, 2025.  Numerous revolutionary forces across Burma said they would do everything to interrupt and stop the junta’s sham election.

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Three Pagoda Pass residents receive phone signal back but no access to mobile data

HURFOM: Since the second week of March, 2025, the military junta has cut off the telecommunication network in Three Pagoda Pass Town, Kyarinnseikyi Township, Karen State. After three months, on June 29^th, the mostly used ATOM phone service has returned back but it is only a 2G signal and there is no access to mobile/cellular data.

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Displaced villagers from Pine Yat still unable to return home

HURFOM: On June 9^th, 2025, the military junta dropped bombs on a self-reliant school in Pine Yat village, Kaw Ka Rate Township, Karen State and nearly 200 villagers had to flee from their homes.

Five villagers were killed and 30 were injured during the June-9 air assault.

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