Situation Dire in Myanmar, U.N. Monitor Tells Human Rights Workshop

Tom Andrews, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, described a dire situation in Myanmar at a talk hosted by Orville H. Schell Jr. Center for International Human Rights. His talk, “On the Brink: The Crisis in Myanmar and What the World Can Do About It,” was the center’s latest Human Rights Workshop.

Andrews outlined the ongoing conflict since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar. The military junta has lost significant territory, funding, and resources but has responded with increased attacks on civilians, he said. More than 6,200 civilians have been killed, 21,000 political prisoners remain behind bars, and millions are displaced, according to Andrews. The U.N. Development Programme considers 2 million people in Myanmar at risk of famine. The crisis has also allowed criminal enterprises, including human trafficking and forced labor, to expand, according to human rights advocates.

Andrews, who is also director of the Schell Center’s Myanmar Human Rights Project, said that one of his priorities is tracking the junta’s access to weapons and applying international pressure to limit its supply. His reports as special rapporteur have also detailed the impact of the coup on groups including children, women, and the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities.

The Rohingya population remains particularly vulnerable, Andrews said. He described how conditions have remained grim since the military’s 2017 killing of thousands of Rohingya in Rakhine State. The 600,000 or so Rohingya who remain in Myanmar are subject to intense, systematic oppression, Andrews said. 

He then went on to describe how 700,000 Rohingya who fled across the border to Bangladesh are now being conscripted into the Myanmar military — the same forces that committed the genocide against them. Once forced in the military, Rohingya are often placed on the front lines and exposed to landmines, Andrews said. He has urged Bangladesh to prevent Rohingya living in refugee camps from being forced into the military and sent back to Myanmar.

Andrews described how citizenship has also been leveraged against the Rohingya. Myanmar has long denied the Rohingya citizenship, limiting their access to passports and official documentation. However, some members of the resistance movement have expressed a willingness to recognize Rohingya rights in a future Myanmar constitution. 

Andrews stressed that any resolution to the conflict in Myanmar must include the Rohingya’s right to return to the country, rebuild, and obtain full citizenship. He noted that while international courts can be a powerful and important source of justice, a domestic system of justice must be established in Myanmar to contend with this crisis.

Addressing how the international community can respond, Andrews stressed that international bodies and other states cannot legitimize the military junta in any way. He emphasized that the clearest message that he can send the junta is the message of non-recognition. 

Asked how special rapporteurs can work effectively, Andrews stressed the importance of strategic information sharing. As special rapporteur, he focuses on directing key facts to the right audiences, including state governments, U.N. bodies, civil society groups, or the media. He explained that presenting impactful information strategically is his most powerful tool. Andrews said that international visibility is crucial, yet difficult to maintain and urged the international community to sustain its attention and advocacy.