The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) has revealed in a recent report that Myanmar’s military has been detaining children as young as two years old, often as proxies for their parents, and holding them in prison facilities where systematic torture takes place. According to the report, which covers the period from July 2024 to June 2025, the military has escalated its atrocities in the country, more than four years after seizing power in a coup in February 2021.
The IIMM collected evidence from witnesses indicating that children aged from two to 17 had been detained, often in lieu of their parents, who are perceived to be associated with opposition movements. Some of these detained children had been subjected to torture, ill treatment, or sexual and gender-based crimes. Nicholas Koumjian, the head of IIMM, emphasized the importance of perpetrators believing that someone is watching and collecting evidence, stating, “It’s very important that perpetrators believe that somebody is watching, somebody is collecting evidence.”
The report highlights the systematic torture practiced in prison facilities, including beatings, electric shocks, strangulation, and forms of sexual violence, including rape and gang-rape. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), the military has conducted mass arrests since the coup, detaining almost 30,000 people, including political opponents, journalists, and activists accused of resisting junta rule. Koumjian stressed the need for commitment from the international community to see justice done, not just for the people of Myanmar but also as an example to the rest of the world.
The IIMM report warns that an unprecedented funding crisis is threatening investigators’ ability to collect and analyze evidence. Funding constraints have affected the ability of investigators to travel, train, and buy necessary software to conduct their work. Staff positions will be reduced by 20% next year, which will further compromise the mechanism’s critical work and its ability to support international and national justice efforts.
The UN is undergoing a cost-cutting drive due to funding challenges, with dozens of agencies, offices, and operations asked to cut 20% of their staff. The IIMM is funded by the UN regular budget and grants from individual donor countries. Two US funding grants were terminated this year, although one continued. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has attributed the efforts to cut back UN costs to a liquidity crisis, as member states fail to pay their annual dues on time or in full.