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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
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Box. 4.
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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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