SW News: The number of children forced to flee their homes to escape violence in Myanmar has surpassed half a million with a rapid escalation in displacements this year, as per the charity Save the Children.

In a report released on November 1, the charity said more than 1.4 million people have been displaced by conflict in Myanmar with 1.1 million forced to flee since the escalation of violence in February 2021.

Of the total 407,000 children displaced since then, about 63%, or 257,000, have been displaced in the past nine months. “Many displaced families in Myanmar are living in makeshift shelters in the jungle and are vulnerable to hunger, and illness and face risks to their safety like trafficking and exploitation,” the report said.

"These figures serve as a warning to the world" those children’s lives remain under threat daily nearly two years after the military ousted the elected civilian government. According to the charity, an airstrike on a school in the Sagaing Region in September resulted in the deaths of 11 students and injuries to 17 others.

Since 1995, Save the Children has operated in Myanmar, collaborating with more than 50 partners to deliver life-saving medical treatment, nutritious food, quality education, and child safety programs.

In Myanmar, there are 1.4 million internally displaced people, of which 1.1 million have been displaced since the political unrest and escalation of violence in February 2021.

According to OCHA data from December 2021, 37% of the displaced people in Myanmar at that time were kids.

People in these displacement camps depend on donations from neighborhood non-profit organizations and international assistance organizations to live. Access is frequently erratic due to roadblocks and ever-tighter regulations on transportation and relief, according to the charity, which results in denying humanitarian aid to people who are in the greatest need.