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REPORT(S) ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION



Subject: REPORT(S) ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN BURMA-4.

/* Written Mar 14 13:51:05 CST 1995 uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on igc:soc.culture.burma  */
/* --------------" HRSUB: Dr U Ne Oo "--------------------------*/

[Subject:  To inquire into and report on the human rights situation
and lack of progress towards democracy  in  Myanmar(Burma)  by  the
Human Rights Sub-Committee of the parliament of Australia.
        Submissions made to this enquiry   by  various  people  and
organisations are re-posted here.
        Following  materials were also distributed to reg.burma  on
12/10/94. -- U Ne Oo ]

# SUBMISSION NO. 4.

Part 5 of 6.

INCORPORATED DOCUMENTS
----------------------
[ B - 5 ] INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY AGENCY (ICVA)
              MISSION TO BURMA REPORT, May 1993. PP-29.
    (By Russell Rollason, Dawn Calabia, Alf Dubs & Al Senturias)

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS

Each  day  in  Burma  close  to 500 children under 5 die, many from
preventable diseases such as diarrhoea, tetanus, hepatitis, typhoid
and other water  and  sanitation  related  diseases.  According  to
figures  from  government sources, the current malnutrition rate of
40% among children is on the rise. And all this in a  country  rich
in natural resources and a former major rice exporter.

Though  the  country  has  historically  enjoyed  a higher level of
leteracy than many of its Asian neighbours, the percentage  of  its
children  able  to  read  and  write  may  be on the decline as low
primary school enrolments and high dropout rates suggest.

During the visit to Burma the team received detailed briefing  from
officials  in the Ministry of Health and Education and the Ministry
of  social  Welfare,  from  UNICEF,   and   from   a   variety   of
non-governmental   organisations   such   as  the  Myanmar  Medical
Association and the Myanmar Mother and Child  Welfare  Association.
>From   these   briefings  and  visits  to  hospitals,  schools  and
facilities for the disabled, the Team concluded  that  humanitarian
needs  in  Burma  are  considerable  and have recommended that NGOs
provide humanitarian assistance. Assistance is recommended  in  the
three  social development priority sectors - Health and Population,
Literacy and Education, Water Supply  and Sanitation.

On  16  July  1992,  Myanmar endorsed the  Declaration of the World
Summit for Children and in so doing, the SLORC commited  itself  to
reduce  infant and child mortality rate, provide clean water to all
communities,  and  reduce  illiteracy   and   provide   educational
opportunities for all children.

The  first  draft  of  the National Program of Action for Survival,
Protection and Development of Children has  been  prepared  by  the
Ministry of H ealth and a coppy was given to the Team. The National
Program  of  Action  provides  a  detailed synopsis of the health ,
education and welfare needs of  children  and  women  in  Burma  as
outlining  a detailed program of action to achieve the goals of the
Declaration. Key needs identified in the National Program of Action
include:

- The official infant mortality rate (IMR) is 98 per thousand  live
births  and  the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) stands at 150 per
thousand live births.

- The maternal mortality rate (MMR) is  123  per  hundred  thousand
live births.

-  One  hald  of  young child mortality is due to several diseases:
pneumonia; diarrhoea; tetanus;  vaccine-preventable  diseases;  and
malaria.

-  A recent survey shows that maternal mortality is attributable to
such causes as haemorrahage, anaemia, and  other  complications  in
pregnancy.

-  Hospital  recores  show  that  36%  of  admissions  are  due  to
infectious diseasses. It is estimated that actual malaria morbidity
is much higher than the reported figure of 700 in 1990.

- HIV/AIDS has spread alarmingly,  specifically  on  the  country's
eastern border.

-  A  recent  malnutrition  survey  shows  that 68% of families had
insufficient incomes to meet recommended dialy food intake.

-  The  major  constraints  in  water  supply  and  sanitation  are
financial, technological and institutional.

-  Myanmar  has some 36,500 primary schools, 5,000,000 students and
200,000 teachers. Statistically, these is at least  one  school  in
every two villages.

-  Recent  studies undertaken by Department of Basic Education with
the assistance of UNICEF show that out of  every  100  students  of
primary  school  age, 38 never enrol. 41 drop out before completing
grade 4, and only 21 complete the primary school cycle.

- The problems of quality  in  education  is  attributable  to  the
absence  of  curriculum  development  process  through research and
evaluation.

- Apart from short  supply  of  textbooks  in  many  rural  primary
schools, there is a severe shortage of classroom learning aids such
as wall posters, graphs and charts.

Before arrriving in Burma, the needs of the minrities in the border
regions of Burma had been emphasised to us. Information provided to
the Team confirmed that the Border regions were the most needy, but
also  that there were substantial needs in the central and southern
regions, as well as around Rangoon itself. Providing assistance  to
the  Border  regions  is  difficult because many of these areas are
mountainous and inaccessible as well as  bieng  at  the  centre  of
theconflicts and therefore politically very sensitive.

The  two  areas  of  greatest  need  visited  by  the team were the
townships of Shwe pyithar and Hlaingthayar. The  two  international
NGOs  currently  working  in  Burma,  World Vsion and Medicins Sans
Frontieres (Holland), have both ficussed their assistance in  these
two   townships.   MSF(Holland)  has  undertaken  a  most  valuable
nutrition and health survey in the townships.  To  quote  from  the
report,

    Since  1985,  Yangon  City  authorities  have  been  developing
    several new resettlement areas around Yangon. After  1989,  the
    government   intensified  and  accelerated  these  resettlement
    schemes and presently about 250,000 persons are living  in  the
    relatively new townships of Shwepyithar and Hlaingthayar, which
    are located to the west of Yangon.

    A  majority  of the people living in these townships are of the
    lowest income groups and rely  on  dialy  wages  as  labourers,
    factory  workers,  food  vendors  and  other  informal  jobs in
    Yangon.Their  resettlement  to  the   townships   has   further
    disadvantaged  them.  They  are  affected  by the disruption of
    their livelihood activities, the substantially higher food  and
    basic  commodity prices and the higher than average travel cost
    to areas of employment.

    While there is substantial infrastructure in these townships, a
    number  of  facilities  like  health  care,  water  supply  and
    sanitation  works  are  not et fully operational. Environmental
    sanitation and access to safe water  is  poor  and  at  present
    large  tracts  of  the townships are flooded during the monsoon
    season. The access to health care for the population is limited
    and  as  a  resuly  of   chronic   shortages   of   drugs   and
    medicalmaterials,   the  public  health  facilities  are  under
    utilised and are unable to respond to the needs.  The  township
    hospitals  and  health  centers  are  inadequately equipped and
    staffed and thus many patients must seek treatment  at  private
    of higher level institutions.

The  MSF  survey  concluded  that  the  "high  prevalence  of acute
malnutrition found among children under 5 year in both townships in
probably due to high child morbidity (especially  diarrhoea),  poor
weaning  practices and possibility to insufficient purchasing power
of the low income population." It also discovered that  vaccination
coverage  of  children  under  5  is  low,  government  health care
facilities is probably due  to  inadequate  health  infrastructure,
equipment  and  supplies.  MSF(Holland)  is  planning  a program of
assistance to the health  care  system  in  the  two  townships  in
cooperation with the Department of Health.

HEALTH AND PUPULATION

Primary health needs identified by several authorities were malaria
prevention  and  treatment, further extension of child immunisation
(currently about 80% coverage), improved water and  sanitation  for
diarrhoea  management,  improved  treatment  for  acute respiratory
infection including tuberculosis and special assistance for  iodine
deficiency,   leprosy  and  HIV/AIDS  infection.  Health  currently
attracts only 7% of the national budget.

Colonel Pe Thein, Minister for Health and  Education  identified  4
areas  of  need - essential drugs for local communities, assistance
with training and consumables for birth spacing programs,  improved
water  supply  and  sanitation  and  assistance  for prevention and
control of malaria.

The Director General and Directors  of  the  Department  of  Health
requested assistance in six areas:

1. Health education programs for HIV/AIDS;
2. Birth spacing (family planning);
3. Essential drugs;
4.  Improved  sanitation  in  new  satellite  towns (especially the
supply of squatting plates);
5. Training for community health worders and kits for midwives;
6. Vaccines for universal child immunisation.

With assistance from UNICEF, the Ministry of  Health  has  achieved
substantial   coverage  of  the  country  for  child  immunisation.
Officials reported 80 to 85% coverage,  with  cold  chain  vaccines
available  in  209  of the 319 townships in Burma. There is growing
solar powered refrigerator netword for vaccines. Areas  yet  to  be
reached   include   the  border  regions,  especially  those  where
conflicts is occurring.

HIV/AIDS

Testing for HIV/AIDS began in 1985 and as of the end of 1991, 3,510
HIV positive cases have been identified,  with  16  cases  of  full
blown  AIDS.  Screening  of blood for the virus is only possible in
Rangoon and Mandalay. See box for further details.
------
Box 2.
------
                HIV/AIDS IN BURMA

The problem of HIV infection and AIDS has been recognised to be one
of the major health problems currently faced by Myanmar.  According
to  WHO  estimates,  Myanmar  is one of the three ocountries in the
Asia-Pacific region, together with Thailand and India, that will be
facing the most serious AIDS problem in the near future.

Serological surveillance of HIV infection began in 1985 on a  small
scale,  but  it  was  not  until  1988 that a HIV positive case was
detected. Since then,  the  number  of  positive  cases  has  risen
sharply  with  the  expansion of HIV testing. At the end of 1991, a
total of 145, 571 persons had  blood  tests,  with  3,410  of  them
showing  positive  for  the  virus - an infection rate of 2.41% The
figures  for  1991  are  partivularly  striking:  an  increase   in
incidence   rates   was  seen  in  all  high-risk  groups  such  as
intravenous  drug  users  (71%),  prostitutes(15%),  STD   patients
(15.6%),  pregnant  women  (0.5%),  blood  donors (0.3%) and others
(12.6%)  -  a  category  which  generally  includes  the   hospital
inpatients, citizens coming back across the bordrs and prisoners.

However,  due  to  financial  constraints,  testing  is  still very
limited and is done only for surveillance of high-risk groups.

The picture that emerges from surveillance findings and survery  is
that,   unlike   in   Africa  for  instance,  AIDS  in  Myanmar  is
preponderantly transmitted through intravenous drug use,  thet  is,
by infected needles.

At  Myitkyina  in  Kachin State, 9 out of 10 intravenous drug users
tested positive for HIV. IN more stark terms, this relates directly
to the availability of needles - because of their scarcity the drug
addicts share dirty needles and as a resuly the virus spreads  like
wildfire.  Although the profile of IVDU in Myanmar is not known, it
is believed that drug use in increasing among youth of 20  -30  age
group.  Official figures indicate that there are about 10,000 IVDUs
in Myanmar. These are officially registered users and according  to
the UN Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) the number of IVDUs may be as
high as 50,000.

Sexual  transmission  is  not  so  prevalent,  but  the increase in
infection amongst prostitutes and cases of sexually  -  transmitted
diseases  (STD) means that this mode  of  infection  is  likely  to
increase  in  future.  The geographical pattern of AIDS show higher
incidence on  or  near  Myanmar's  border  with  Thailand,  and  at
Myitkyina in the north of the country.

As  with  many  other health conditions, it is felt that the actual
prevalence would be higher (tip of the ice  berg  phenomenon).  The
Myanmar  Government and the UN agencies have accorded high priority
on their programme agendas to AIDS, and  a  multisectoral  National
AIDS control committee has been established.

Source: UNICEF Myanmar
-------
Box. 4.
-------
                REFORMING EDUCATION

At  all  levels  of  primary  schooling,  the  sole  criterion  for
advancement  to  the  next  grade  is  the  passing  grade  on  the
end-of-the  year  written  examination. A failing grade in a single
subject requires a student  to  sit  for  the  examination  in  all
subjects again the following year.

The  examination  system  is  also  believed  to  be  a significant
contributing factor in the high failure,  repetition  and  drop-out
rages of many students, particularly at the lower primary level.

The  Continuous  Assessment  and  Progression  System  (CAPS)  -- a
project undertaken by the  Department  of  Basic  Educatiion  (DBE)
assisted by UNICEF -- has been introduced in 44 primmary schools in
order  to make student assessment learning - oreiented by providing
continuous  feedback  to  both  students  and  teachers,   and   by
emphasising  child  centred  activity-based  heaching and learning.
Furthermore, CAPS  is  developing  a  more  systematic,  continuous
system of record keeping for monitoring the development of students
competencies.

During  1992-95  CAPS  will be implemented in  all  14  states  and
Divisions and is estimated to cover 2,200 primary schools and 7,650
teachers.  Here,  CAPS  will  be introduced in stages : kindergaren
1992, grade  1  in  1993  and  so  on.  Progress  will  be  closely
monitored.  It  is  expected that wastage ( repetition and failure)
shall be significantly reduced,  and  more  cildren  provided  with
better and more relevant education shall move on to higher grades.

Obviously  a  lot  more  than  CAPS  will  be needed if the present
primary education system is to  be  revived  and  brought  back  on
track.  Although  continuous assessment is an importnat improvement
over the figid year - end examination it is  just  one  of  several
important links in the primary school system chain.

Source: UNICEF

Part 5 of 6.

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