The murderous repression of demonstrations since the coup d'état of February 1 in Burma has not spared the young.
According to the NGO Save the Children, the number of children and adolescents killed has doubled in the last twelve days.
"It is particularly horrific that several of them were killed in their homes, where they should have been safe," she comments.
In all, 44 minors were said to have been killed by the Burmese security forces, reports the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP).
"My colleagues at Save the Children in Myanmar tell me about at least three cases of young children - aged 6, 11 and 12 - killed by the armed forces in their homes in the past 10 days," said Inger Ashing, director. from Save the Children, on the association's website.
Last week, a six-year-old girl was shot dead.
According to the media Vice, two little boys were playing in the street when the soldiers started shooting in the air.
In their escape, one of the two children, aged 13, was shot in the back of the neck, killing him instantly.
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The toll is undoubtedly much heavier: more than 2,700 people were arrested during these rallies against the junta, including 20 children according to Save the Children, and many, held incommunicado, without access to their loved one or to a lawyer, are missing.
In Yangon, the economic capital, residents laid flowers at bus stops and other public places in memory of the “martyrs”.
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The bloodbath of the past few days has sparked yet another round of international protests.
After two days of difficult negotiations, the UN Security Council "expressed its deep concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation", "strongly" condemning the violence in a unanimous statement.
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Some members, including the United States and the United Kingdom, pleaded for a stronger text which envisaged "new steps" in the event of further deterioration of the situation, that is to say a vague allusion to the possibility of international sanctions.
China and Russia refuse any sanctions
But China, a traditional ally of the Burmese army, is categorically opposed to any coercive measure, as is Russia, which even wishes to deepen its military cooperation with the regime.
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The United States and the United Kingdom have already sanctioned conglomerates controlled by the generals.
But the latter turn a deaf ear and relentlessly pursue their bloody response.
They are also tightening their legal grip on the former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, held incommunicado since February 1 but "in good health" according to her lawyers.
The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate is accused of corruption and violating a colonial-era state secrets law.
She is also charged with several other charges.
If found guilty, she faces long years in prison and risks banning from political life.
