UN: Myanmar rights crisis hits ‘new low’ as minorities face brutal abuses

GENEVA — Myanmar’s human rights crisis has reached an unprecedented level, with minorities such as the Rohingya enduring brutal abuses, forced labor, and recruitment, according to a recent United Nations report. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published the report, covering the period from June 2025 to May 2026, detailing ongoing airstrikes, arson, displacement, and the denial of humanitarian aid by the Myanmar military.

The document also revealed extensive and systematic violations against the Rohingya by both the military and the Arakan Army, nine years after the 2017 violence that displaced hundreds of thousands. In Rakhine, the Arakan Army has been accused of arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, forced labor, enforced disappearances, and property confiscations.

Alarmingly, children as young as six have been forced into labor, clearing jungle, constructing buildings, and performing other tasks. The UN further warned that Myanmar's lack of rule of law has enabled illicit economies, including illegal mining, drug production, human trafficking, and scam centers, to flourish, providing financial support to the conflict.

Satellite images revealed a 149% increase in rare-earth mining sites in Kachin since 2021, rising to 302 in total, while Shan saw an expansion from 12 to 85 sites after the 2021 coup. These mines have caused severe environmental damage, with satellite imagery showing toxic runoff and chemical contamination damaging waterways, farmland, and public health.

Local documentation even links exposure to heavy metals from mining to pregnancy complications and other illnesses. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed deep concern over the widespread suffering, misery, and cruelty depicted in the report. He called on governments, companies, and investors to reassess their involvement in Myanmar's crisis, warning that their reputations and credibility are at risk.