A/HRC/39/CRP.2 and UWSA. Many of the Mission’s victims and witnesses clearly stated that their recruitment and involvement with the armed groups was against their will. 347. The United Nations has verified cases of the UWSA using children in their armed ranks in 2012, 2013 and 2014.757 348. Sources informed the Mission that the TNLA recruits boys that are no longer in school, from the age of 14 to 15 years old. 758 The TNLA has a policy of recruiting boys and girls from the age of 16 years old.759 One interviewee explained that the village administrator kept a list of all the boys who are no longer in school and that the TNLA would go through the list to recruit them. He stated that, prior to 2013, the TNLA would only take one boy per household, but that this practice has changed, and as they now take all brothers from a household, and even some girls: “they do not have the option of saying no to the TNLA”. 760 Further accounts suggest that young men and boys often run away from the TNLA after being recruited, or to avoid recruitment. 761 Another source mentioned that his brother was forcibly recruited by the TNLA after he fled his village to escape recruitment. His brother was 16 years old when he started his military training. 762 349. Women and girls usually are recruited by the TNLA for administrative work and do not engage directly in fighting.763 Girls are usually asked to cook for the TNLA and are not necessarily required to fight.764 This still constitutes prohibited recruitment. 350. The KIA has also recruited boys and girls under 18-years old.765 Although one source mentioned that this practice was in place mostly before 2010,766 the Mission received information to suggest its continuation. It was also reported that the KIA abducted children to force them to join their ranks. For example, on 12 March 2014, two girls aged 15 and 16 years old, were abducted by two KIA elements in Mansi Township, Kachin State. After four days in captivity, they were required to join the KIA in military support roles. 767 In another verified incident, the KIA abducted four girls in Lashio Township, Shan State, on 26 November 2015. The girls were subsequently moved to different posts and reportedly received military training.768 351. The Mission received accounts of children being recruited in the ranks of the SSAS,769 with accounts of children fleeing to avoid compulsory military training by the SSA-S. The children interviewed mentioned that they were afraid of being caught by the armed group after their escape.770 352. A woman shared an account of forced recruitment conducted by the SSA-S in her village of Mong Khung Township, Shan State, when she was 16 years old in August 2011. The SSA-S arrived in her village and recruited villagers who had not fled the fighting between the SSA-S and the Tatmadaw. The SSA-S recruited 58 villagers in total including children and 15 women. She was one of them, and had been forced to undertake military training for nine months until she escaped. She said: I was part of the SSA-S training, I was forced to go there. Three SSA-S armed men came and said “you need to be part of our group”. The SSA-S went to each house. If I had not accepted to go, my father would have been forced to join, but he was already 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 K-061. PI-093, PI-101. PI-101. PI-093. PI-093. PI-095. PI-101. PI-093. K-061, K-064. PI-001. K-061. K-064. DI-070, K-061, PI-014. DI-070, PI-014. 87