Supporting Myanmar’s Traumatized Youth and Children

• In Event: Education at the Margins and the Center: Children’s Voices, Equity, and Inclusive Partnerships

Proposal

Myanmar’s children and youth are facing an unprecedented and the biggest mental health crisis following the February 2021 military coup, with widespread conflict, displacement, nation-wide civil war, and systemic collapse exposing them to direct violence, prolonged insecurity, and the “secondary transmission” of trauma through stressed families. Many endure PTSD, anxiety, depression, disrupted education, and heightened risks of sexual violence, while care providers themselves experience secondary traumatic stress. Community and faith-based networks, social workers, educators, and peers offer crucial—but insufficient—support. Drawing on Myanmar-specific and global evidence, this policy brief recommends multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to address varying psychosocial needs, normalizing emotional expression to reduce stigma, and establishing organizational protocols to prevent and respond to secondary traumatic stress among frontline workers, aiming to move youth from survival toward resilience, empowerment, and active participation in rebuilding a peaceful future.

Author

• Han Seth Lu, Boston Public Schools