In their recent 220-page report, “My Gun Was as Tall as Me”, Human Rights Watch expressed concern over Burma's exploitative use of underage boys for military purposes. The report states that young boys, not yet in their teens, are being abducted by the military, and forced to target indigenous villagers. It is estimated that the Burmese military uses 70,000 soldiers under the age of 18, many as young as 11 years old. The boys are not permitted to contact their families and are sent off to camps for weapons training. If the boys are caught trying to escape the punishment is severe and often results in death. Human Rights Watch said that its research was conducted by interviewing current and former child soldiers and by examining the recruitment practices of the military and 19 different resistance groups.
