The 3rd of May 2025 marked two years of the outbreak of violence in the state of Manipur. The pathway to a permanent peace is still unclear. The ongoing negotiations that are largely shaped by adults (and mainly men) are yet to transform into concrete mitigating measures that alleviate the burdens of the most vulnerable. Children constitute a disproportionate number of the 67000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled their homes in the conflict and the overall number of children who have been impacted remains largely unknown. As of September 2023, nearly 22,000 children (constituting 33% of the displaced population) were languishing in relief camps. An equivalent number of children (if not more) living outside of camps were largely unrecorded in the official data and ground assessments. A demographic analysis of nearly 10000 people who fled into Mizoram from Manipur in July 2023 showed that there were 554 displaced infants (0–1 year) and 3618 children (1–12 years). A majority—458 infants and 2,826 children—were living outside relief camps, with only 96 infants and 792 children housed within. It is to be noted that the number of people still displaced, living within and outside relief camps have not fundamentally changed since July 2023.
The brutalization of children has been a consistent feature underlying the conflict. Children have been abducted, tortured and killed in the unfolding human tragedy. They have witnessed violent deaths and their villages being burnt. The exposure to extreme violence is further compounded by a struggle for survival that occurs as children navigate life in the relief camps. Everyday life for children in the camps constitutes an unseen trauma, living in crowded conditions, with lack of access to water and poor sanitation facilities. A recent assessment by the NEST-Research Department in Churachandpur indicated that there were 153 toilets for a population of nearly 5240 displaced persons.
Cases of neonatal, infant and child mortality in the relief camps have also occurred in the past two years. Some cases recorded by a humanitarian data platform are illustrative of the issue. On 11th July 2023, a boy aged two years died due to suspected measles in a relief camp in Churachandpur District. On 24th July 2023, a girl aged two years and seven months, living in a relief camp in Bishnupur District, died due to breathing problems. Her parents were unable to afford treatment. A one-year-old girl passed away on 22nd September 2023 due to pneumonia in a relief camp in Churachandpur District. In April 2024 in the same district, a girl born to displaced parents, who was ten-hours old passed away due to cardio-respiratory issues, while in August 2024 a one-day old male from a relief camp died due to unsuccessful neonatal resuscitation.
The absence of child-friendly spaces and inadequate safety measures can have lethal consequences. On 20th March 2024, four children living in Canan ECA relief camp in Churachandpur, drowned in a river adjacent to the camp. Equally critical are instances of child abuse within and outside relief camps. The underreporting of these cases occurs due to a combination of factors, ranging from weak institutional monitoring and under-resourced redressal mechanisms. In addition, due to the pervasive insecurity, forensic specialists who are mainly located in Imphal are unable to examine cases in the conflict affected-hill districts, thereby leading to significant barriers in formal justice delivery and a higher reliance of resolution via customary practices. The ongoing unrest and displacement crisis have also significantly disrupted education across Manipur, particularly for children living in relief camps and violence-affected areas. School closures due to safety concerns, damaged infrastructure, and the displacement of teachers and students have led to prolonged interruptions in learning. Many children have been forced to drop out or have limited access to quality education, increasing their vulnerability to child labour and child trafficking. Additionally, the psychological toll of social unrest has affected children’s cognitive and emotional well-being, making reintegration into formal schooling challenging. School enrolment trends for the academic years 2022-23 and 2023-24 in Imphal-East reported by Frontier Manipur shows a decline in student numbers (14676) across specific schools. In the case of Churachandpur District, based on district level data, we see a drop in overall enrolment by 18.21% i.e. (approximately 12,890 students) for the same period. Apart from the above decrease in enrolments, damage to school infrastructure due to schools being burnt down have also had an impact. Due to destruction of school infrastructure approximately 2380 students from Chandel district and 1439 students from Churachandpur district have been affected.
It is to be noted that currently the drop-out rate within the relief camps is significantly less, as the State Education Department directed enrolment of displaced students into government schools nearest to their camps. The biggest challenge that students face are pedagogical challenges, pertaining to this transition, especially as a large portion of the students were earlier studying in private schools. Parents of children who discontinued going to school shared that the living environment, which is loud and crowded, makes them distracted and affects their attention span. This, in turn, leads to poor academic performance, causing children to lose motivation to continue their studies under such conditions.
The cumulative impact of the shortfalls of healthcare, education support, psychosocial care and protection for children in the relief camps was acknowledged by the Manipur State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPR). In January 2025, the Commission stated that children are at high risk of recruitment into the conflict—and that some have already been recruited. With an entire generation now living in, and increasingly being born into, these camps, the large-scale loss of childhoods will have far-reaching consequences unless urgent and systematic interventions are undertaken.
Author Details:
• Dr. Samrat Sinha is Professor, Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), Visiting Researcher, Peace Centre Nagaland (PCN)-Chümoukedima and Advisor, NEST-Lamka Research Department-Manipur.
• Siam Thangsing, is Research Consultant, Gender and Social Protection, NEST-Lamka Research Department-Manipur.
Saturday, July 5, 2025