Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he taking to help ensure that children in Myanmar are protected against (a) exploitation, (b) sexual violence and (c) physical violence during the current crisis.

We are extremely concerned about the worsening situation in Myanmar, and the acute impacts on the physical and mental wellbeing of children in Myanmar. Children are being killed, wounded, detained and exposed to tear gas and stun grenades and are witnessing scenes of violence. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR's) latest figures, 200,000 have been displaced, cutting children off from essential services. Humanitarian access for providing urgent assistance to those affected by violence and conflict in Myanmar is increasingly constrained. Access to education and access to healthcare have been severely disrupted since the coup. The UK has on average provided around 14% of all humanitarian assistance through the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), placing the UK among the top three humanitarian donors in Myanmar. We are developing our response and have provided £5 million for emergency displacement and needs since the coup.

The UK is committed to children in Myanmar and to providing the services critical for children's survival and wellbeing. A large part of the humanitarian caseload are children and, through national and international organisations, civil society and the UN, we are providing assistance in health, nutrition, protection and education. The UK supports global human rights actors and monitoring mechanisms, such as the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), to monitor and collate evidence of all forms of violence and abuse in relation to the coup, including gender based violence and violence against children. I met with the IIMM on 17 June to discuss its critical role in preserving evidence, and the UK's continued support for the mechanism.