Covid, the military coup, and economic hardship sees rise in child labour

April 22, 2022

HURFOM: Due to the global pandemic and the military coup, Burma has had to close schools for nearly two years. The result has been a rise in the drop out rates. Not unrelated, there has also been an increase in the number of cases of child labour.

Economic hardships on families has led to children leaving their homes at an early age to work on rubber plantations, plywood factories, restaurants, tea shops and grocery stores.

“It is more frequent now to find these workplaces having workers under the age of 18– it is a case of child labor. These individuals do not receive a fair salary but they have to be satisfied with what they get. Some child laborers don’t even get a salary and any income they might receive depends on the good will of their employers,” said a labor welfare activist.

HURFOM has found that SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in Mudon Township are using child labor, and in some cases these inviduals are working more than 8 hours a day. Advocates against child labour point out that these employers are exploiting children.

“Child literacy rate was getting higher under the democratic/civilian government. But now people’s livelihoods are one of hardship and insecurity. The current economic conditions have forced students to leave their classrooms,” said Nai Htaw Nai, a schoolteacher.

After the coup, the soldiers occupied schools, and nearby explosions have been frequent. Parents think the schools can not provide enough safety for their children.

In addition, qualified school teachers have left their workplaces in opposition to the military dictatorship. As a result schools are struggling to provide quality education.

“Because children are not going to school, some parents have allowed them to work at the rubber plantations. Most children here are working at the rubber plantations,” said a villager from Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division.

According to a 2018 report prepared by the Ministry of Labor, children were forced to leave school due to armed conflicts, poverty and socioeconomic hardship. 30% of rural children and 20% of urban children were found to be working as child laborers.

According to the report, Burma has 12 million children and 0.6 million were working as child laborers, and 0.4 million toiled in dangerous workplaces.

It is unclear if these numbers have increased since the coup.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News