Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Families of Rohingya in the village of “Phone Nyo Lake” in Buthidaung, Arakan State, reported that children under the age of 13 are being forced into unpaid labor inside a local Buddhist temple, under orders from the village head, amid growing concerns for their physical and psychological safety.
Parents told Arakan News Agency that the children are taken from their homes daily during daytime hours and forced to perform strenuous tasks within the temple compound, including cleaning, sweeping the courtyards, cutting grass, and carrying out various duties without any monetary compensation or provision of food and water.
They added that the targeted children include both students from formal schools and those attending religious (Arabic) schools, noting that the village head has ordered each Rohingya neighborhood to send at least 10 children daily.
Neighborhood representatives are reportedly compelled to gather the required number of children and deliver them, with families living in fear of punishment if they fail to comply.
The parents called for urgent intervention from humanitarian and rights organizations to halt these violations, ensure the children’s protection, and allow them to return to school in a safe environment.
They also warned of the serious negative impacts of this forced labor on children, depriving them of education while exposing them to daily physical exhaustion and psychological stress.
The area has been under the control of Buddhist Arakan militias (Arakan Army) for over a year. Rohingya residents say their suffering has worsened during this period due to ongoing violations committed against them.
Under the Arakan militias’ rule, the Rohingya face widespread abuses, including the locking of their homes over false complaints, seizure of property, confiscation of valuables, displacement of families, and strict restrictions on movement between villages, enforced through a network of security checkpoints at the entrances and exits of each Rohingya village.
In November 2023, the Arakan militias launched a military campaign against the Myanmar army to control the state, successfully taking over 14 out of 17 towns. The conflict has severely affected the Rohingya, who have faced violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides, following the 2017 “genocide” campaign by the Myanmar army that forced nearly one million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
