Child labour in Burma

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Description: "This World Day Against Child Labour on June 12, taking place shortly after the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, ILO Myanmar calls to accelerate multi-stakeholder efforts to prevent and eliminate child labour, with priority given to the worst forms of child labour. Yangon (ILO News) - In line with the Durban Call to Action adopted last month, ILO Myanmar expresses its continued commitment to make decent work a reality for adults and youth above the minimum age for work. Almost one in ten of Myanmar’s 12 million children between the age of 5 and 17 are engaged in child labour, often exposed to hazards and risks. The compounded impact of the military takeover and persistent armed conflicts on top of the COVID-19 pandemic had led to an estimated 1.6 million jobs lost in Myanmar in 2021, heightening the risk of families resorting to child labour. According to a recent report by the ILO, it is estimated that the incidence of child labour in countries affected by armed conflict was 77 per cent higher than the global average, and the incidence of hazardous work was 50 per cent higher. This suggests that the current context in Myanmar will exacerbate child labour. “The unstable political landscape and deteriorating economic situation in Myanmar have forced more and more families into poverty. In times of crisis, concerted efforts among all stakeholders are needed more than ever before to increase social protections to prevent and protect children from child labour in all forms,” said Mr Donglin Li, ILO Myanmar Liaison Officer/Representative. ILO action in Myanmar Drawing on this year’s World Day Against Child Labour theme, “Universal Social Protection to End Child Labour”, ILO Myanmar will engage with civil society, development partners and social partners in training and awareness-raising activities through its e-learning programme and interventions. Some of the actions include panel discussions, community based events, awareness-raising videos, a drawing contest and a photo exhibition “Burning Hands ” (Institut Français de Birmanie), which will take place throughout June to August. More details will be announced via the ILO Myanmar Facebook page..."
Source/publisher: International Labour Organization via United Nations Myanmar
2022-06-14
Date of entry/update: 2022-06-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: The turmoil following the military coup in Myanmar, coupled with the impact of COVID-19 could result in up to 25 million people – nearly half of the country’s population, living in poverty by early next year, a United Nations report said on Friday.
Description: "That level of impoverishment has not been seen in the country since 2005, and the economy is facing significant risks of a collapse, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in its report, COVID-19, Coup d’état and Poverty: Compounding Negative Shocks and their Impact on Human Development in Myanmar. “In the space of 12 years, from 2005 to 2017, Myanmar managed to nearly halve the number of people living in poverty. However, the challenges of the past 12 months have put all of these hard-won development gains at risk,” Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, said. “Without functioning democratic institutions, Myanmar faces a tragic and avoidable backslide towards levels of poverty not seen in a generation.” The study also noted that as economic, health and political crises affect people and communities differently, vulnerable groups are more likely to suffer, a fact particularly relevant for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and ethnic minorities, in particular, the Rohingya community.....Multiple shocks: According to the report, by the end of 2020, 83 per cent of Myanmar’s households reported that their incomes had been, on average, slashed almost in half due to the pandemic. As a result, the number of people living below the poverty line was estimated to have increased by 11 per cent points. The situation worsened further with the 1 February military takeover and the ensuing security and human rights crisis, with projections indicating a further 12 per cent point increase in poverty as a result. In the nearly three months since, over 750 people – including children – are reported to have been killed by security forces in a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, countless more have been wounded and thousands arrested. Furthermore, clashes between Myanmar security forces and regional armed groups have resulted in fresh displacements in several parts of the country, as well as forcing many to seek refuge outside its borders. Prior to the latest crises, nearly a million people in Myanmar (identified at the start of 2021) are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.....Women, children, small businesses hit hardest: According to the study, women and children are feared to bear the heaviest brunt, with more than half of Myanmar’s children projected to be living in poverty within a year. Urban poverty is also expected to triple, as worsening security situation continues to effect supply chains and hinder the movement of people, services and commodities. Small businesses, which provide the majority of jobs and incomes for the poorer segments of the urban population, have been hit hard, UNDP said. It also added that pressures on the country’s currency, the Kyat, has increased the price of imports and energy, while the volume of seaborne trade is estimated to have dropped by between 55 and 64 per cent. At the same time, the country’s banking system remains paralyzed, resulting in shortages of cash, limiting access to social welfare payments, and preventing much-needed remittances from reaching hard-pressed families.....Corrective actions urgently needed: The report also noted that without rapid corrective actions on economic, social, political and human rights protection policies, Myanmar’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 could be derailed. As a dire and complex situation unfolds – characterized not only in humanitarian terms but also as a deep crisis in development, democratization, and human rights – and circumstances worsen, international support will play an important role in safeguarding the well-being of the Myanmar population, it added..."
Source/publisher: UN News
2021-04-30
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-30
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Sub-title: The United States and the Myanmar government are implementing three five-year projects aimed at eradicating child labour in the country, a senior official said on Monday.
Description: "U Thein Swe, minister of Labour, Immigration and Population, said the three projects will accelerate implementation of the Minimum Age Convention (138) of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which includes the abolition of child labour. “We will implement this in all regions and states in addition to five designated regions and states at the same time,” he said. In December last year, parliament approved the ratification of the treaty, paving the way for the government to end all child labour. According to a government survey in 2015, Myanmar has about 1.12 million child workers between the ages of 5 and 17. The minimum age range for child workers is 13 to 15 under Convention 138. George Sibley, US Embassy deputy chief of mission, said they are expecting changes in the country’s labour sector. Aside from its efforts to eradicate child workers, the government is also focused on ending forced labour in the country..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
2020-02-25
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: The Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry plans to introduce a system to examine all deaths of children under 18, in principle, for the purpose of preventing children dying from abuse or accidents, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
Description: "The system will be called Child Death Review (CDR) (see below) and the ministry intends to implement it across the country as early as fiscal 2022. Starting in April this year, the ministry will introduce the CDR system at five local governments as a model project. By reviewing all cases of child death, the ministry aims to find abuse and accident cases that child consultation centers and police have failed to identify, and make use of the results to prevent such cases recurring. CDR is a framework in which children’s death certificates, measures taken by police, fire departments and child consultation centers, and other issues are examined from various viewpoints. The purpose is to prevent the recurrence of similar cases, rather than focusing on holding individuals and the relevant institutions and officials accountable, even when abuse or an accident is confirmed after the review. According to the ministry, about 3,800 children under the age of 18 died in 2018. Of them, about 70 children, or 2%, were subject to government investigations as child abuse deaths. However, a study group within the ministry collected and analyzed cases of the deaths of about 2,300 children under 18 from about 150 medical institutions nationwide for a period from 2014 to 2016. It found that 118 of those children were suspected to have died as a result of being abused, accounting for around 5% of the total. Based on this finding, the ministry expects other overlooked abuse cases will be exposed by using CDR to examine all child deaths..."
Source/publisher: Eleven Media Group (Myanmar)
2020-01-18
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-19
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Description: " Myanmar has taken the lead in Southeast Asia to eliminate corporal punishment and child labour with the ratification of a minimum age obligation and new legislation. According to the Myanmar Times, last November, the International labour Organisation’s Minimum Age Convention No 138 was approved by parliament. Among others, the 18-article convention allows Myanmar and other underdeveloped countries to employ children aged 12 to 14 for non-harmful light work. It also seeks to abolish child labour and support the physical, mental and economic development of young people. A few months earlier, Myanmar enacted the Child Rights Law, which garnered widespread recognition and support among civil society organisations for the advancement of children’s rights. It also ended violence against children and the legislation was applauded by the likes of Unicef, Human Rights Watch and Save the Children. Save the Children, which has operations in Myanmar, hailed the nation as a leader in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations on the issue of any form of punishment perpetrated against children..."
Source/publisher: "New Straits Times" (Malaysia)
2020-01-09
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-09
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Description: "Earlier this year, in June, Save the Children released its Global Childhood Report 2019. The report involved a total of 176 countries, and took a look at indicators such as children’s healthcare, education, nutrition and protection. But while Singapore took lead in terms of providing a safe and fostering environment for children, leaving other ASEAN countries far behind, countries like Lao, Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines performed the worst in the bloc. The ASEAN Post has published several articles citing this particular report. We looked at the dire state in Lao, Cambodia, and the Philippines, and also commended Singapore for being able to grab top spot for the second year in a row. Nevertheless, today it’s pertinent to also take a closer look at Myanmar. Talking about children in Myanmar is timely as recently, the country’s Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Assembly of the Union) approved Myanmar’s ratification of an international treaty to abolish child labour in the country. The Minimum Age Convention (138) of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which includes the abolition of child labour, was approved on Tuesday..."
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Source/publisher: "The ASEAN Post" (Malaysia)
2019-12-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Myanmar has designated five priority project areas to implement child labour eradication programs, according to a decision revealed by the Working Committee for Legal Affairs of Child Labour Eradication here on Wednesday. The five priority project areas are scattered in Yangon, Bago and Ayeyarwady regions and Kayin and Mon states. Myanmar government has called for cooperation to eradicate child labour and implement it as a national duty, saying that the project involves everybody..."
Source/publisher: "Mizzima" (Myanmar)
2019-10-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-03
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Description: "The fishing industry has been a significant driver of Myanmar?s economic growth in the last decade. However, Myanmar?s fishing industry has simultaneously been associated with alleged child labour issues. Human Rights Now (HRN), a Tokyobased international human rights NGO, sent a fact-finding mission in July 2017 to investigate the alleged child labour situation in the Myanmar fishing industry. Over the course of five visits from 6 July 2017 to 25 July 2017, the fact-finding mission conducted interviews with labourers at San Pya market, one of the largest wholesale fish markets in Yangon, as well as at two villages across the Yangon River, Aye and Ba Done Nyunt villages. The fact-finding team conducted interviews with 19 people, including 12 child labourers1. While acknowledging the limited scope of the fact-finding mission, HRN uncovered abject working conditions and the use of child labour in the fishing sector in Myanmar. Child participation in the Myanmar labour force is widespread due to poverty, little knowledge about the issue, shortcomings in the country?s education system and a lack of services aimed at poor children and families.2 Furthermore, Myanmar lacks a coherent legal framework against the practice of child labour and, simultaneously, for the protection of young workers..."
Source/publisher: Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business via "Human Right Now"
2018-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2018-10-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: Executive Summary: "?Made in Myanmar? is ready to make a comeback, with U.S. and EU markets newly re-opened for trade with Myanmar?s garment manufacturers. Buyers and investors are back in Yangon looking for opportunities, attracted in part by the country?s low labor costs. However, Myanmar has spent over a decade cut off from Western markets and the compliance culture that has evolved around social and environmental management of supply chains. Meeting buyer expectations now requires not only investing to meet higher requirements for speed and quality, but also ensuring that labor practices meet or exceed international standards. Child labor is a particular area of concern. In a country with high levels of poverty, low rates of secondary school enrollment, and weak enforcement of labor laws, child labor is unsurprisingly a common option for families in need of additional income. Underage workers (younger than 14, the legal minimum) are prevalent in many sectors, ranging from construction to teashops. What is a responsible buyer to do? So far, many buyers have chosen to limit their risk and exposure by working solely with established foreign-owned suppliers that already have years of experience adhering to supplier codes of conduct. These factories often require a minimum age for their workers of 16 or even 18, higher than the national legal requirement, which helps to reduce the risk of child labor in a country where age verification is difficult. While this may be an effective strategy for managing reputational risk, it ignores the broader context and real challenges of widespread poverty and scarce educational opportunities in Myanmar. It also neglects the potential for international investment and supply chains to contribute to a future where children in Myanmar spend their days in school, not in factories. And it overlooks the real risk that the use of child labor outside of responsible companies? own supply chains will tarnish the ?Made in Myanmar” brand. This report explains the context of child labor in Myanmar, both across sectors and specifically for garment manufacturing. Because there is no comprehensive data on the role of children in the garment sector, the findings are primarily based on interviews with key industry observers and participants. These findings include: » Young workers are participating in the garment sector but usually make up a small percentage of a factory?s workforce, and underage workers are rare. However, young workers are often working the same hours as adults, and laws regulating their working hours and conditions are not being enforced. » Increased access to U.S. and European markets is reshaping the garment industry, but the majority of factories are not yet selling to U.S. and European buyers, and their labor practices are lagging. As the garment manufacturing industry grows, the risk factors for child labor could change as well. The demand for low-cost labor will increase as new garment factories open. Other sectors of the economy are growing as well, heightening the competition for skilled workers. Meanwhile, new minimum wage BSR | Child Labor in Myanmar?s Garment Sector requirements are also affecting the profile of labor demand, and changes in industry structure could increase the risk of child labor if subcontracting and third-party suppliers become more common..."
Creator/author: Laura Ediger, Jeremy Prepscius, Chris Fletcher
Source/publisher: BSR
2016-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-06-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 710.85 KB
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Description: "Khaing Hla Pyaint is an incredibly determined young Arakanese man who decided that whatever it takes, he will work for his country and help his people. On a long journey from Arakan State near Bangladeshi border to the Thai border town of Mae Sot, Khaing Hla Pyaint experienced deportation, imprisonment, and torture, until he could finally reach his goal and become a soldier in the jungles of Karen State. Despite the hardship, Khaing Hla Pyaint has never regretted the choices he has made. Why was he so determined to work for his country? How did his childhood experiences and further education make him realise he wants to help his people? Read the second part of the unbelievable story of this young dedicated soldier and learn how he feels about the root causes of the conflict, and how he thinks the international community and donors can promote change instead of funding more arms and training for the Burma Army."...See the Alternate link for part 2.
Source/publisher: Burma Link
2013-12-09
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Executive Summary: "The growing domestic and international attention being paid to child labor in Burma, also known as Myanmar, signals a vital step in the country?s reform and development process. The advent of new funding to research the scope of the problem, proposed amendments to labor laws, and popularized documentaries exposing the lives of working children have indicated fresh interest in revealing and reducing the incidence of child labor. However, the catalyst for this report was sparked by observations that these proliferating activities and discussions are often largely restricted to urban areas, particularly regarding the well-known prevalence of Burma?s ?teashop boys.? While urban forms of child labor warrant immediate and effective interventions, the ambiguity that shrouds less visible forms of the practice, especially occurring in rural ethnic villages and communities tucked against the country?s vast borderline, necessitates targeted illumination. During several interviews conducted for this report, civil society members and child protection officers described child labor in Burma as vastly under-researched, and said that accurate data from the country?s peripheral areas is almost nonexistent. Almost half of the occurrences of child labor documented for this report were found in agricultural practices, primarily on rubber plantations and betel nut farms. An equivalent number of children interviewed were working in furniture factories, waiting tables or washing dishes in small restaurants, or searching garbage for recyclables to redeem. Others still were engaged as day laborers, piecing together daily wages by clearing weeds on plantations, gathering grasses to make brooms, or working as cowhands or woodcutters. Income scarcity and food insecurity were central themes collected in many family narratives, but were also often rooted in other fundamental social issues. Poverty was not necessarily the sole cause of child labor, but rather the two were jointly symptomatic of poor access to education and healthcare, landlessness, migration, and the effects of decades of armed conflict and human rights abuses. Children, and particularly young girls, were also subject to social and gender norms that contributed to their entry into the workforce. The reduced likelihood that working children will complete their education and the increased risks associated with labor performed during children?s early developmental stages were found to feed directly back into these same family burdens that led to child labor. In short, the many interconnecting social issues, economic and labor policies, and community histories surrounding child labor in rural areas are beyond the scope of this report to fully catalogue or evaluate. Instead, the research presented herein telescopes in on a very small but highly underreported area of child labor, and aims to amplify the voices and cast a light on the experiences of rural working children in Mon areas."
Source/publisher: Woman and Child Rights Project (WCRP)
2013-11-00
Date of entry/update: 2013-11-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.25 MB
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Description: RANGOON, Feb 16, 2010 (IPS) - Fifteen-year-old Cho Cho Thet knows little about the world outside of the garments factory where she works. Thet works 14 hours each day ? from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ? seven days a week, but receives a salary of only 35,000 kyat (35 U.S. dollars) a month. The factory owner provides free accommodation and meals that include rice and vegetables. "Working under a roof is better than working in the rice field under the sun or the rain. I don?t feel tired at all here," Thet told IPS. The girl was recently promoted from helper to operator after two years.
Creator/author: Mon Mon Myat
Source/publisher: IPS
2010-02-16
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "This report includes interviews with two deserters who fled the Burma Army in 2008 and spoke to KHRG about their experiences in February 2009. The interviews cover issues of forced recruitment, child soldiers, corruption and theft within the army, low moral and desertion, and the brutal treatment of both civilians and fellow soldiers by armed forces personnel..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F9)
2009-04-27
Date of entry/update: 2009-10-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Burma?s military government pays lip service to the rights of children, but still allows child labor and recruits underage soldiers..."
Creator/author: Aung Thet Wine
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 16, No. 9
2008-09-00
Date of entry/update: 2008-11-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: 1. Introduction; 1.1. Background; 1.2. Project Profile; 1.3. Project Objectives; 2. The Participatory Action Research (PAR) Process; 2.1. Methods of Working with Migrant Children and Youth; 2.2. Implementation Strategy; 2.3. Ethical Considerations; 2.4. Research Team; 2.5. Sites and Participants; 2.6. Establishing Research Guidelines; 2.7. Data Collection Tools; 2.8. Documentation; 2.9. Translation; 2.10Country and Regional Workshops; 2.11Analysis, Methods of Reporting Findings and Dissemination Strategy; 2.12. Obstacles and Limitations; 3. PAR Interventions; 3.1. Strengthening Social Structures; 3.2. Awareness Raising; 3.3. Capacity Building; 3.4. Life Skills Development; 3.5. Outreach Services; 3.6. Networking and Advocacy; 4. The Participatory Review; 4.1. Aims of the Review; 4.2. Review Guidelines; 4.3. Review Approach and Tools; 4.4. Summary of Review Outcomes; 4.4.1. Myanmar; 4.4.2. Thailand; 4.4.3. China; 5. Conclusion and Recommendations; 6. Bibliography of Resources.
Creator/author: Therese Caouette et al
Source/publisher: Save the Children (UK)
2001-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2003-04-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 191.33 KB
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Description: A Participatory Action Research Project of Save the Children(UK)... 1. Introduction; 2. Background; 2.1. Population; 2.2. Geography; 2.3. Political Dimensions; 2.4. Economic Dimensions; 2.5. Social Dimensions; 2.6. Vulnerability of Children and Youth; 3. Research Design; 3.1. Project Objectives; 3.2. Ethical Considerations; 3.3. Research Team; 3.4. Research Sites and Participants; 3.5. Data Collection Tools; 3.6. Data Analysis Strategy; 3.7. Obstacles and Limitations; 4. Preliminary Research Findings; 4.1. The Migrants; 4.2. Reasons for migrating; 4.3. Channels of Migration; 4.4. Occupations; 4.5. Working and Living Conditions; 4.6. Health; 4.7. Education; 4.8. Drugs; 4.9. Child Labour; 4.10. Trafficking of Persons; 4.11. Vulnerabilities of Children; 4.12. Return and Reintegration; 4.13. Community Responses; 5. Conclusion and Recommendations... Recommendations to empower migrant children and youth in the Mekong sub-region... "This report provides an awareness of the realities and perspectives among migrant children, youth and their communities, as a means of building respect and partnerships to address their vulnerabilities to exploitation and abusive environments. The needs and concerns of migrants along the borders of China, Myanmar and Thailand are highlighted and recommendations to address these are made. The main findings of the participatory action research include: * those most impacted by migration are the peoples along the mountainous border areas between China, Myanmar and Thailand, who represent a variety of ethnic groups * both the countries of origin and countries of destination find that those migrating are largely young people and often include children * there is little awareness as to young migrants' concerns and needs, with extremely few interventions undertaken to reach out to them * the majority of the cross-border migrants were young, came from rural areas and had little or no formal education * the decision to migrate is complex and usually involves numerous overlapping factors * migrants travelled a number of routes that changed frequently according to their political and economic situations. The vast majority are identified as illegal immigrants * generally, migrants leave their homes not knowing for certain what kind of job they will actually find abroad. The actual jobs available to migrants were very gender specific * though the living and working conditions of cross-border migrants vary according to the place, job and employer, nearly all the participants noted their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse without protection or redress * for all illnesses, most of the participants explained that it was difficult to access public health services due to distance, cost and/or their illegal status * along all the borders, most of the children did not attend school and among those who did only a very few had finished primary level education * drug production, trafficking and addiction were critical issues identified by the communities at all of the research sites along the borders * child labour was found in all three countries * trafficking of persons, predominantly children and youth, was common at all the study sites * orphaned children along the border areas were found to be the most vulnerable * Migrants frequently considered their options and opportunities to return home Based on the project?s findings, recommendations are made at the conclusion of this report to address the critical issues faced by migrant children and youth along the borders. These recommendations include: methods of working with migrant youth, effective interventions, strategies for advocacy, identification of vulnerable populations and critical issues requiring further research. The following interventions were identified as most effective in empowering migrant children and youth in the Mekong sub-region: life skills training and literacy education, strengthening protection efforts, securing channels for safe return and providing support for reintegration to home countries. These efforts need to be initiated in tandem with advocacy efforts to influence policies and practices that will better protect and serve migrant children and youth."
Creator/author: Therese M. Caouette
Source/publisher: Save the Children (UK)
2001-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2003-04-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 343.98 KB
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