Child Arrested for Father’s Crimes

May 28, 2008

WCRP:

Thanpyuzayat authorities arrested 13 year-old Mi Seik Hlone at 11:30am on the 13^th of February, 2008 as she attended her Mon National School class. The arrest came about after her father, Nai Sai, was found guilty of manslaughter, following a violent argument between him and other man on the 1^st of February; he and his wife fled shortly after the incident.

The argument broke out between Nai Sai and 17-year-old Mam Htop Phar and resulted in Nai Sai beating Phar to death. Phar was from the island village of Kalargote in the northern part of Ye Township.

The police arrested Mi Seik Hlone on her father’s behalf close to final exams and held the 13 year old in custody for one week. Her release came only after the New Mon State Party’s liaison officer of Thanpyuzayat Town together with Mi Seik Hlone’s teacher apologized to authorities many times, pleading for her release prior to the final exams, and drawing attention to her age.

One activist who works for the rights of children expressed her feeling that the state authorities should not arrest a child and should definitely not keep any child in custody for a crime committed by someone else.

“This case is a clear example of the State disregarding the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and directly affecting a young girl’s chance at education. In this case the girl’s future in the community has also been jeopardized, as she has now been ostracized as a criminal.” She went on, “The State’s action in this instance completely disregards child rights, and placed a young girl in jail for her father’s crimes.”

Unfortunately this case is not isolated; other instances of town authorities using children to get to parents who have committed a crime is common practice and violates children’s rights, as they are effectively held hostage as ransom for their parent’s crimes.

Mi Seik Hlone has returned to study fifth standard in Halock Cha village, Thanpyuzayat Township, Mon State, Burma.