ASIA/MYANMAR – The scourge of child labor in a war-torn nation
Yangon (Agenzia Fides) – In the tormented nation of Myanmar, torn by a civil conflict for more than three years, there is an explosion of the phenomenon of child labor, as observed by observers from the international community, United Nations reports , and as confirmed by Fides Agency sources in the nation.
The civil war, in fact, has generated a shortage of workers, and in addition, in recent months, the phenomenon of emigration of young people – who flee the country to avoid the law of compulsory recruitment, approved last February – is further aggravating the phenomenon, which is being alleviated with the recruitment of minors in the most disparate tasks. This is a flagrant violation of the rights of children and the most vulnerable, according to UN experts. According to observers, the increase in child labor is also one of the side effects of the controversial law on compulsory military service with which the military junta in power has attempted to replenish the ranks of its armed forces, after the heavy losses suffered by the coordinated attacks by the People’s Defense Forces and armies linked to ethnic minorities. To avoid fighting in the ranks of the Burmese army, thousands of young people have fled to rebel-controlled territories or abroad. A recent report published by the International Labor Organization (ILO) points out the increase in levels of child labor and, although the ILO has not been able to provide exact figures, the text recalls that “the rates of child labor in countries affected by conflict are 77% higher than the world averages.” The ILO calls on Myanmar to take decisive action to end child labor as the security situation in the country worsens, with more than three million internally displaced people, a third of whom are children.
“We are deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation and escalating conflict in Myanmar,” said Yutong Liu, ILO Representative for Myanmar. “More and more children are living in poverty, experiencing movement restrictions or being forced to move, making them increasingly vulnerable to child labour. Children must be protected and be a beacon of hope for the future of the country,” he recalls. Child labor, according to Fides Agency sources present in the country, is widespread in various sectors, such as clothing manufacturing, agriculture, catering, domestic work, construction and street vending.
The Myanmar Workers’ Federation notes that in a country where workers already have limited protection of their rights, children are especially vulnerable to exploitation. However, despite widespread violations, there are very few reports of abuse and flagrant violations of children’s rights that are often ignored in factories or by companies, where children often seek employment using ID cards belonging to older relatives or friends.
It should be noted that, in 2020, Myanmar ratified the provision of the International Labor Organization on the minimum age for work, but the coup and then the outbreak of civil conflict created a real shock in the social fabric of the nation.
“Families, reduced to poverty by the conflict, often have no choice but to send their children to work,” notes a source from Fides, while a report published last June by the Program of the The United Nations Development Agency concluded that 75% of Myanmar’s population, that is, 42 million people, live in poverty. A priest from Yangon reports: “In Catholic parishes, where it is still possible, in the areas less affected by the conflict, we try to have special attention for children, for example by celebrating a special mass for them, bringing them closer to Jesus in this condition of suffering for them and their families, trying to satisfy their material, relational and spiritual needs. The children participate in singing and praying. The parish is an oasis for their souls and their lives. Consecrated priests, lay people and catechists take care of them”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 22/7/2024)
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