Two years ago, 700,000 people from the Rohingya minority in Rakhine State, Myanmar were forced to flee their homes, taking shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh. Children and their families fled what the UN reports have called ‘acts of genocide’ – murder, rape and worse. And the violence continues in Chin State with more minority groups targeted.
Since the fighting started, a government enforced blackout has descended on Myanmar:
- a blackout on impartial investigators, stopping us from finding out exactly what is happening
- a blackout on aid, preventing humanitarian agencies reaching children who need it most
- a blackout on the internet, creating fear that more crimes are being committed under the cover of darkness.
We need transparency to stop these horrific crimes against children continuing. Tell the Australian Government to advocate at the UN to lift the veil of secrecy and bring the perpetrators of these atrocities to justice.
“The military set our house on fire…”
“Then they started killing people with machetes. Men, women, children. Everyone. We ran away and never went back. On our way to Bangladesh I walked into an abandoned village to look for food. I came across a big water reservoir where I wanted to get some water for the journey. When I got closer I saw at least 50 dead bodies floating in it. I can’t forget the smell of the burning houses, or the sight of the bloated bodies. These are horrors I will never forget.”
Hosan* - 12 years old
*Name changed to protect identity
Rohingya refugees at a camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.