A young Burmese soldier awaits his unit at a train station in Kachin State. Many young boys are forced to join the Burmese army, some as young as 11. Some are kidnapped from the streets of cities like Rangoon. Others join thinking that they can escape poverty and provide for their families. They are often sent straight to ethnic areas to fight insurgents with rudimentary training. All of the various armies fighting the Burma army have child soldiers. The insurgents argue that they are fighting for their survival and need all able males to defend their homes. The Burmese army reportedly has the highest number of child soldiers of any army in the world. 1998.