United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Burmese children are being recruited to fight armed conflicts despite agreements to protect children's rights.
Mr. Ban Friday released his report to the U.N. Security Council that says the Burmese government, the Karen National Union and the Karenni National Progressive Party continue to be implicated in serious children's rights violations.
The report noted difficulties gathering data on children's rights in Burma. The secretary-general urged the military government to ensure that all armed groups with which it shares a cease-fire accord are accessible to rights monitors.
He also encouraged the government to take disciplinary action against those responsible for facilitating the recruitment of children.
Also Friday, an international women's network launched a campaign to release Burma's pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other women human rights activists detained in the country.
The Women's League of Burma says 106 women arrested during pro-democracy protests in September are still being held in detention, including six nuns.