Children's Rights - studies
Individual Documents
Sub-title:
Fostering the untapped potential of Myanmar’s youth
Description:
"In January 2017, State Counsellor Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi gathered 18 young people from across
Myanmar for a Peace Talk in Nay Pyi Taw. These
youth, representing a range of ethnic identities,
shared their fears, hopes, and insights on how to
transform conflict into peace, and how to build
trust between, and within, communities. While the
Peace Talk was considered by some to be symbolic
rather than substantive, the meeting brought the
issue of youth inclusion to the fore and reaffirmed
previous statements delivered by State Counsellor
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi calling for greater
engagement of youth in peace.8
Throughout Myanmar’s history young men and
women have been active at the community level
in activities ranging from youth-led social affairs
groups (Tha-yay Nar-yay ah thin) to supporting
social and community projects such as free funeral
and wedding services, cultural activities, blood
donations, among many others. In the more formal
peacebuilding sphere, youth have supported and
sustained peacebuilding processes but have rarely
featured in formal, influential public decision-
making roles. In the lead up to the partial signing
of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA)
in October 2015, young men and women were
the backbone of Government and Ethnic Armed
Organisation (EAO) coordination structures,
but were never selected as formal negotiators.
Furthermore, key documents guiding formal
peacebuilding efforts in Myanmar — such
as the NCA and the Framework for Political
Dialogue — do not contain provisions related to
youth inclusion. These documents also do not
consider youth as a cross-cutting issue across
thematic discussions. In other words, speeches
and statements articulating the importance
of youth inclusion have yet to be matched by
inclusion strategies and structures that secure the
meaningful engagement of young people in the
future of their country.
While low levels of youth inclusion in public
decision-making persist, there is an opportunity to
capitalise on nascent youth policy commitments
and harness the contributions of youth leaders,
innovators, facilitators, and policy-advocates to
increase the likelihood of reaching sustainable
peace in the country. Global evidence shows that
broadening public participation – including to
young people – in peace increases the prospects
for it lasting.9
Empowering young peacebuilders
has also been shown to create active citizens for
peace, to reduce violence and to increase peaceful
cohabitation.10 With the passing of United Nations
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2250 on
Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) in 2015, there
is also potential for Myanmar to lead globally
and set good practice for sustainably increasing
the involvement of young people at all levels of
decision-making, policy-making and peacebuilding.
Myanmar youth are contributing formally and
informally to a host of peacebuilding initiatives;
leveraging these contributions, often innovative
and catalytic in their approaches, can support the
multiple transitions the country is undergoing.
Bringing the role of young people to the forefront
of Myanmar’s transition also builds on Myanmar’s
history where students and youth movements
have influenced the trajectory of the country.
This Discussion Paper provides a starting point
for understanding the status of youth inclusion
in peacebuilding in Myanmar. In Section 1, this
Discussion Paper assesses the involvement of
youth and inclusion of youth perspectives in peace
at both national and sub-national levels since 2011.
Section 2 analyses the challenges young women
and men face to their substantive involvement in
peacebuilding. Section 3 draws upon national and
international good practice, articulating a strategic
framework for action to overcome obstacles
discussed in Section 2. (For a detailed overview of
the methodology used to inform this Paper, see
Annex 2.)
opportunities and challenges to young men. Other
identity factors often supersede age-related
identity. Thus, when discussing youth in Myanmar,
it is critical to understand other elements of
identity that intersect with age, such as: gender,
ethnicity, religion, class, disability, Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Questioning
(LGBTIQ), migration, nationality, drug use, among
others..."
Source/publisher:
Paung Sie Facility, UKaid, SWEDEN, Australian Aid
Date of publication:
2017-01-00
Date of entry/update:
2021-05-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict and peace-building in Burma - theoretical, strategic and general, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Panglong Peace Conference, Racial or ethnic discrimination in Burma: reports of violations against several groups, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Children, Education rights: standards and mechanisms, Children's Rights - studies, Women's rights, Ethnic groups in Burma: general studies and articles
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.86 MB (72 pages)
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Sub-title:
A snapshot of the situation of children in Myanmar
Description:
"This profile provides a snapshot of the situation of children in Myanmar, using available data from reports that are nationally and regionally representative, for both Union and State/Region levels. The major sources are the Intercensal Survey (2019), the Myanmar Living Conditions Survey (2017), Demographic Health Survey (2015-16), and Myanmar Population and Housing Census (2014).
While Myanmar has achieved improvements in education, health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, and protection of children and communities, there are still children who are still left behind, requiring our obligations to fulfill their rights..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2021-04-00
Date of entry/update:
2021-04-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Children, Children's Rights - studies, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
2.81 MB
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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)
Date of publication:
2020-02-25
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-25
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Children, Child labour in Burma, Children's Rights - studies
Language:
more
Description:
" At least 15 women and children drowned and more than 50 others were missing after a boat overloaded with Rohingya refugees sank off southern Bangladesh as it tried to reach Malaysia Tuesday, officials said.
Some 138 people — mainly women and children — were packed on a trawler barely 40 feet long trying to cross the Bay of Bengal, a coast guard spokesman told AFP.
"It sank because of overloading. The boat was meant to carry maximum 50 people. The boat was also loaded with some cargo," another coast guard spokesman, Hamidul Islam, added..."
Source/publisher:
"CBS News" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-02-11
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Children, Children's Rights - studies, Discrimination/violence against women: reports of violations in Arakan (Rakhine) State
Language:
more
Description:
"At least 19 children were wounded when a primary school was hit by shelling in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, a lawmaker and a military spokesman said on Thursday.
Clashes between government troops and ethnic insurgents have intensified in Rakhine, from where tens of thousands of people have been displaced since clashes began in December 2018, bringing new chaos to the region from which more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled a military crackdown in 2017.
The Arakan Army, which recruits from the mostly Buddhist majority, has been fighting for greater autonomy for the western region from the central government.
Artillery fire hit the school in Khamwe Chaung village in Buthidaung township on Thursday morning, Tun Aung Thein, a local member of parliament, told Reuters by telephone. He said he did not know who was responsible.
“According to the health department, 19 students are injured and one is seriously injured,” the lawmaker said.
A military spokesman put the number of wounded at 20, and blamed the insurgents for the attack..."
Source/publisher:
"Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication:
2020-02-13
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Children and armed conflict, Children, Children's Rights - studies
Language:
more
Sub-title:
A legislator from strife-torn Rakhine State urged the government to come up with a plan to educate children living in camps for people displaced by conflict (IDPs).
Description:
"Daw Khin Saw Hla, MP for Rathedaung township, said the government must not neglect the education of the children in the camps. “Our internal conflicts were born during our struggle for independence over 70 years ago,” she said. “No one knows when they will end. The education of the children in war-torn areas should not be neglected.”
She called on officials of the National Education Policy Commission (NEPC) to visit the IDP camps so it can formulate a policy on educating them. Daw Khin Saw Hla said thousands of children were among the over 100,000 people who have had to flee their homes since fighting between the Tatmadaw (military) and Arakan Army erupted in 2018.
These children do not attend school, she said. In one of the clashes, a high school was closed because the Tatmadaw turned it into a temporary headquarters. “This school has more than 1,000 students from 24 nearby villages, including Kyauktan village. Now they are having difficulty learning. The Tatmadaw should not station troops in schools,” she said.
She also said the programme of the Department of Alternative Education and Myanmar Literacy Resource Centre to give a second chance to children aged 10 to 12 years old who drop out of school should be extended to Rakhine..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2020-02-11
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Children, Children's Rights - studies, Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State
Language:
more
Description:
"In 2019, UNICEF reached over 460,000 children and their families with critical supplies including support for 4,213 children with severe acute malnutrition, measles vaccination for 12,222 children between 9 and 18 months, safe water for over 132,300 people, learning opportunities to 45,167 children, and 107,215 people received information on staying safe from unexploded ordinance.
Over 221 people, including 52 children, were killed or injured by landmines or explosive remnants of war in 2019. While this is down from 2018 when 276 people were killed or injured, there is a marked increase in Rakhine State, which now accounts for over one quarter of all incidents up from 0 in 2018.
UNICEF’s humanitarian activities continue in 2020 targeting Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Shan and Kayin states where conflict-affected populations remain in need, including 361,000 children (source: 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview)..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Myanmar) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-01-31
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
562.25 KB
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Sub-title:
Under new programme, 10,000 Rohingya boys and girls to be enrolled in grades 6 to 9, a move hailed by rights groups.
Description:
"Rights groups and activists have welcomed Bangladesh's decision to allow Rohingya children living in sprawling refugee camps to receive a formal education, calling it a "positive step".
To date, only one-third of Rohingya child refugees - who fled a brutal 2017 crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar - are able to access a primary education through temporary learning centres run by international agencies.
More:
Rohingya facing 'lost generation' of children out of school
A boy who can sing: The life of a Rohingya child refugee
Akter, 20, expelled from university for being Rohingya
Starting in April, a pilot programme led by the UNICEF and Bangladesh government will initially enrol 10,000 Rohingya boys and girls up to the age of 14 in the sixth to ninth grades, where they will be taught the Myanmar school curriculum and receive skills training, officials said on Wednesday.
"It is a great news for us," Nay San Lwin, co-founder of Free Rohingya Coalition, told Al Jazeera.
"As of now, at least the children can study up to grade 9 and youth can join skill trainings," he said.
Primary education is provided to more than 145,000 children by a network of 1,600 UNICEF-run small learning centres in the refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, where more than one million Rohingya, nearly half of whom are children, have been living since they fled persecution in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication:
2020-01-30
Date of entry/update:
2020-01-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Children, Children's Rights - studies, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Virginia Gamba, completed a five-day mission to Myanmar where she engaged with national authorities, civil society, Ethnic Armed Organizations representatives, the Diplomatic Corps and the Country Taskforce on Monitoring and Reporting on Children and Armed Conflict (CTFMR on CAAC) in Myanmar.
“Children in Myanmar have suffered tremendously from the impact of hostilities, especially in Rakhine, Shan and Kachin States; it is crucial for all parties, including the Tatmadaw and other Government security forces, to continue their engagement with the United Nations to end and prevent violations against children,” said the Special Representative.
During this visit to Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw, the second since 2018, the Special Representative met with senior government officials including the State Counsellor and Foreign Minister, Her Excellency Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as the Ministers of Defense, of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, of Labor and Immigration and Population, and with the Union Attorney General. She also had constructive discussions with the Chairs of the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee.
“The Government Forces have made significant progress in the implementation of their joint Action Plan signed in 2012 with the United Nations on the recruitment of children; the Action Plan must now be expedited and finalized. I also urge the Tatmadaw Army to continue its engagement with the United Nations to develop measures to better protect children and to commit to a joint action plan on killing and maiming and sexual violence, violations for which they remain listed,” she added..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office of the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2020-01-20
Date of entry/update:
2020-01-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Children, Children's Rights - studies, Children's rights: reports of violations in Burma against more than one ethnic group
Language:
more
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)
Date of publication:
2020-01-18
Date of entry/update:
2020-01-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
"In a ward at Fuwai Yunnan Cardiovascular Hospital (FYCH), a nurse comforted 2-year-old Khant Thurain Phyo with a toy car. His mother Zar Yi Myint was jollily making a video call with her husband and daughter back in Myanmar.
Khant Thurain Phyo, who had been diagnosed with serious congenital heart disease (CHD), arrived in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, with his mother a month ago, for free treatment sponsored by a rescue action plan under the Belt and Road Initiative.
The action plan was launched by the China Charity Federation, Yunnan Charity Federation and the FYCH in 2018 and has so far treated 15 Myanmar children with CHD.
Looking at her son who can now jump like a playful deer, the 28-year-old mother was grateful for the Chinese doctors. "They gave my child a second life."
"He was skinny at birth. He frequently suffered from difficulty breathing," the mother said.
When the diagnosis came out, the poor boy could only rely on medicine to stay alive due to inadequate medical conditions for surgery. But the high medical costs almost pushed the family to the brink of collapse.
Upon hearing the news that a hospital in neighboring Yunnan was willing to offer free treatment to children with severe CHD, the struggling family saw a glimmer of hope.
In 2018, a Chinese medical team arrived in Yonjin Children's Hospital in Myanmar's Rangoon. They checked 58 children diagnosed with CHD and took 15 seriously ill patients back to Kunming for treatment..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-01-17
Date of entry/update:
2020-01-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The world needs to stop viewing us as victims and help us gain the tools we need to forge a new path for Myanmar
Description:
"In the summer of 2012, when a particularly gruesome episode of anti-Rohingya violence erupted in the capital city of Myanmar's Rakhine state, Sittwe, I was a second-year physics student at the town's university.
Sittwe's Buddhist residents were attacking Rohingya homes and businesses with makeshift weapons. Soldiers, who had allegedly been sent to the town to help bring an end to the violence, were shooting at the Rohingya with live ammunition.
As a young Rohingya Muslim, I knew that if I went outside I would be tortured and killed either by angry Buddhist mobs or military troops. So, I hid inside my dormitory room. After spending a week in hiding without any food or other supplies, I was informed by the immigration authority that I was no longer a student - I was banned from Sittwe University and denied an education as a result of the racial segregation plan Myanmar authorities imposed in the name of "keeping the peace".
A few days later, I was forcibly sent back to my hometown, Maungdaw, which is situated in Rakhine state, near Myanmar's border with Bangladesh. But I did not find safety there either. Security forces were regularly raiding Rohingya homes and dragging away anyone they found inside. They were specifically targeting the young and the educated who they viewed as a threat to their authority. We later found the dead bodies of some of the abducted, while others are missing to this day..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication:
2019-12-31
Date of entry/update:
2020-01-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Children, Children's Rights - studies, Education and training of migrants and refugees from Burma
Language:
more
Description:
"UNICEF and the Rakhine State Government met on 29 November to review results achieved in the state in 2019 and discussed UNICEF’s identified priority areas for 2020/2021 as part of a multi-year work planning meeting conducted at state level. Contextual challenges and opportunities were also discussed.
• The Child Protection sub-sector organized several activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. In Kachin, the Chief Minister opened a ceremony with more than 400 participants including IDPs, host communities, and child protection actors. In Shan and Rakhine States, high level government officials,
UN agencies, NGOs and civil society representatives attended events. The CRC celebration provided an opportunity to raise issues and concerns facing children in conflict-affected areas.
• The fluidity and continuous displacement of newly crisis-affected people, and the trend of fewer than 20 percent of IDPs remaining in the same temporary location for more than a month, has increased the challenges of reaching beneficiaries with the full complement of nutrition support among other services..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Myanmar) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2019-12-12
Date of entry/update:
2019-12-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
648.29 KB
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Description:
"Children in conflict with the law will have their rights protected by the International Legal Foundation (ILF) and United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Myanmar.
The partnership followed the implementation of the nation’s Child Rights Law which came into effect in July, according to The Myanmar Times.
Funded by the European Union initiative “Protecting children affected by migration in Southeast, South, and Central Asia”, the project focused on diverting children away from the criminal justice system and promoting alternatives to their detention.
Unicef Myanmar and the ILF would train defence lawyers and other justice stakeholders on child-friendly justice as well as set defence standards for juveniles.
They would also facilitate increased cooperation between police, prosecutors, judges and social service providers to divert cases concerning minors away from courts and connect children with appropriate community support to promote alternatives to incarceration.
Jennifer Smith, executive director of the ILF, underscored the importance of having skilled lawyers to defend children accused of crimes.
“Children need strong and skilled defenders to fight for them from the earliest possible moment after arrest, and their cases must be handled differently from adults,” she said..."
Source/publisher:
"New Straits Times" (Malaysia)
Date of publication:
2019-12-06
Date of entry/update:
2019-12-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Children, Children's Rights - studies, Children's rights: reports of violations in Burma against more than one ethnic group
Language:
more
Sub-title:
In the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh, 10-year-old Kassem sings about the suffering of his people.
Description:
"The sun was burning over Kutupalong camp, the largest refugee settlement in the world. It was midday, so hot that it was hard to breathe.
I was looking for a child to sing Rohingya songs for a film I was making about the history of the Rohingya in Myanmar, searching among the endless makeshift huts that seemed to stretch to the horizon.
This used to be a forest. But the trees have been cut down to make space for the more than one million Rohingya refugees who live here, many having fled what the UN described as "ethnic cleansing" in Myanmar. Now this former forest, which was once a favourite honeymoon destination for Bangladeshis, is full of people carrying construction materials, food supplies and water; full of tiny huts; full of sorrow and loss. I searched for the child among them, not knowing who that child would be, but sure that I would know when I found them.
On my second day in the camp, I came across a large tree with a small makeshift shop beneath it, selling chewing gum, sweets, cigarettes and packets of crisps that have passed their sell-by date.
The shopkeeper kept a watchful eye on a group of young boys who were deep in conversation nearby..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of publication:
2019-11-27
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Children, Children's Rights - studies, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
A visual perspective on children affected by mass migration.
Description:
"To mark the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the World Press Photo Foundation and UNICEF jointly present a selection of stories showing the impact of mass migration on children, awarded in the World Press Photo Contests from 2016 – 2019.
Thirty years ago, world leaders made a promise to every child to promote and protect their rights by adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – an international agreement on childhood. The Convention became the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. Since then, governments across the world have taken action to ensure that more children survive and develop to their full potential.
Thirty years on, child rights have not changed – they have no expiry date. But childhood has changed. The rise of digital technology, environmental changes and mass migration are creating new threats for children. For too many children, migration is not a choice but a necessity.
More than 30 million children in the world today have moved across borders.
Migration has been omnipresent in the news and is a recurrent theme in the recent World Press Photo contests. Through different perspectives, these curated stories draw attention to the physical, emotional and psychological impact of mass migration on children from various parts of the world. It highlights the importance of protecting the rights of every child, wherever they are..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (New York)
Date of publication:
2019-11-22
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Children, Children's Rights - studies, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"The Southeast Asian bloc has agreed to boost efforts, including legal frameworks and law enforcement, to protect children from all forms of online exploitation and abuse. (L-R) Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith (Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP)(Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP)
Ten leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed the declaration to keep children safe amid the digital age following their plenary summit in Thailand.
“The rapid advances in and proliferation of Internet and evolving communications technologies have led to the emergence of unforeseen and unintended consequences that put children’s safety at risk and will likely continue to do so,” the leaders said in the declaration.
They have expressed concern with the global threats that make more children vulnerable to online sexual abuse material and other forms of online exploitation..."
Source/publisher:
"Manila Bulletin" (Philippines)
Date of publication:
2019-11-02
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Children, Children's Rights - studies
Language:
more
Topic:
Child rights, East Asia and the Pacific
Topic:
Child rights, East Asia and the Pacific
Description:
" ASEAN and UNICEF launched in Bangkok today a joint publication entitled “Children in ASEAN: 30 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child” that features achievements and actions for children’s rights in the region. The report was released during the ASEAN CRC30 commemorative event co-hosted by Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) and UNICEF.
At the event, ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Ministers and senior officials, civil society organizations, development partners and children representatives themselves discussed progress in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as well as emerging challenges and new opportunities to realise child rights.
The report looks at what the next 30 years might look like for children in ASEAN. It highlights 10 actionable recommendations which include reinforcing regional systems and cross-border collaboration; ensuring no child is left behind; strengthening laws and policies; increasing public finance and social investment; as well as strengthening data collection, analysis and use.
Other suggestions are to ensure equal access to quality services; leverage innovation and technology; promote social and behaviour change; accelerate child-sensitive climate actions; and achieve gender equality..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (New York)
Date of publication:
2019-11-01
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Children's Rights - studies, ASEAN-Burma relations, Children
Language:
more
Description:
" Thousands of protesters marched to a police station in Yangon on Saturday, demanding justice in a child-rape case that has sparked national outrage.
Police said this week that they had arrested a suspect in the rape of a toddler - nicknamed Victoria - at a private nursery school in the administrative capital, Nay Pyi Taw, in May.
Social media users have questioned the slowness and professionalism of the police response after the girl’s family filed a complaint more than a month ago, underscoring a lack of trust in authorities in a country still emerging from decades of military rule.A government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi took power after winning the elections in 2015, but key institutions such as the police remain under military control and efforts to strengthen the rule of law have floundered.
Organisers estimated as many as 6,000 protesters gathered on Saturday at the Yangon office of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) wearing white T-shirts, some printed with the words “Justice for Victoria”. One banner read: “We don’t want any more Victorias.”
The protesters also called on the government to create a safe environment for Myanmar’s children..."
Source/publisher:
"Associated Press" (USA) via "Bangkok Post"/Learning (Thailand)
Date of publication:
2019-07-08
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Children, Children's rights: reports of violations in Burma against more than one ethnic group, Children's Rights - studies
Language:
more
Description:
"Early [Introduction to ECI including definition and needs for ECI services, age range of children included and types of eligibility for ECI services and relationship to regular ECCD services for infants and young children.]
Early childhood intervention (ECI) services are intensive and serve children principally from birth to age three and up to five years of age. They are tailored to meet the needs of individual children with fragile birth status, developmental delays, disabilities, malnutrition, chronic health issues that affect their development, and atypical behaviours, such as autism spectrum, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders. ECI services complement general ECCD services as presented in the National ECCD Policy. ECI services are more intensive and individualised that ECCD services in order to improve the development of children with greater developmental needs.
Research in many countries has demonstrated that ECI services greatly improve child development and also lower the need for and costs of services for child health and nutrition care, special education, and related child and social protection programmes.
In Myanmar, we estimate that at least 40% of children require ECI services for short to longer periods of time. At present, 35.1% of Myanmar children are moderately to severely stunted; all of these children are likely to have one or more developmental delays. In addition, at least 5% to 12% of the nation’s children will be identified to have disabilities, chronic diseases or atypical behaviours.
Over time, approximately 70% of the children who will be served will improve in their development, attain expected levels of development for their age, and will consolidate their gains within one to two years. Other children, approximately 30%, will have lifelong disabilities or other conditions, and ECI services usually greatly improve their development and help them to achieve their full potential..."
Source/publisher:
Government of Myanmar via Reliefweb
Date of publication:
2019-09-13
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Children, Children's Rights - studies
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
5.2 MB 5.07 MB
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Description:
"UNICEF Myanmar commends the Government of Myanmar for ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC). The ratification, which follows the enactment of the new Child Rights Law in July 2019, once again demonstrates Myanmar’s efforts to align national policies and regulatory frameworks with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that Myanmar ratified in 1991.
Children bear the brunt of armed conflict worldwide, including in Myanmar. The presence of a dedicated chapter in the new Child Rights Law on the protection of children affected by armed conflict, coupled with the ratification of the OPAC, now provide a legal basis for the protection these particularly vulnerable children need.
The ratification of the OPAC also marks another important step by the Government towards ending and preventing the recruitment and use of children within the national armed forces, a commitment already under implementation through the Security Council-mandated Joint Action Plan signed with the United Nations in 2012, and which has led to major progress towards this end.
Welcoming the Government of Myanmar’s confirmation of the minimum age of 18 years for voluntary recruitment into military service, UNICEF calls on the Government to ensure that children enrolled from the age of 16 in military academies and vocational training programmes do not take any direct part in hostilities and do not commit themselves to long-term compulsory bonds with the military before reaching the age of 18.
UNICEF stands ready to support the Government of Myanmar in translating the commitments into tangible measures for the protection of boys and girls, and remains committed to continue working together to end and prevent all six grave violations against children..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) via Reliefweb
Date of publication:
2019-10-02
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Topic:
Myanmar migrant workers
Sub-title:
Labour and security officials are working together to get young Myanmar children back into education after their learning centres were forced to close in Ranong, southern Thailand, Thai Labour Minister MR Chatu Mongol Sonakul said.
Topic:
Myanmar migrant workers
Description:
"The minister was speaking after meeting with Myanmar’s ambassador, U Myo Myint Than, at the ministry on Tuesday.
The ambassador voiced concern that the centres had ceased operating after 32 Myanmar teachers were deported on August 26.
The Myanmar nationals – 31 of whom held immigration clearance papers and one a passport – were teaching at 10 learning centres in Ranong without a licence.
They reportedly applied and were registered to work as migrant workers. However, they took up paid teaching jobs instead, breaching the labour law.
MR Chatu Mongol said the 32 teachers were charged, fined 5000 baht each and then deported. The deportation left the centres with no one to run them, forcing them to close.
The labour minister said the ambassador was worried that the Myanmar children’s education would suffer..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" via Bangkok Post
Date of publication:
2019-09-13
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Children, Children's Rights - studies, Migrant children and youth, Education of migrants from Burma
Language:
more
Description:
"In March 2017, the Myanmar Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement’s Department of Social Welfare (MoSWRR–DSW) led the formation of a working group on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for children in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Finance’s Central Statistical Organization (MoPF-CSO) and with technical and financial support from the UNICEF Myanmar Country office. Operating under the Government’s Social Statistics Cluster (SSC), part of the national coordination mechanism on statistics, the working group met four times1, over the course of 2017 and early 2018, agreeing a list of 45 priority indicators for children across 9 SDGs. These correspond to 28 official SDG indicators broken down into 36 after the inclusion of some SDG indicators components as a separate indicator, and with the addition of 9 national indicators from plans and strategies for sectors like Health; Education; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); Social Protection / Social Welfare.
One major focus of the SDGs is to address inequalities and get governments to commit to the reduction of equity gaps over time. This requires dedicated attention and follow-up through the SDG monitoring process. It requires the disaggregation of data by age (including children), sex and other dimensions as well as a recognition of the universality of the SDGs for all groups of the population in Myanmar and for all countries globally..."
Source/publisher:
UNICEF Myanmar
Date of publication:
2019-02-06
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
"On July 5th, UNODC, UNICEF, UNFPA and the Union Attorney General's Office (UAGO) met in Nay Pyi Taw to discuss combating the rise in violence against Myanmar's women and children. The high-level needs assessment workshop on 'Effective Prosecution Responses to Cases of Violence Against Women and Children' aimed to assess the needs of Myanmar's prosecutors in effectively prosecuting and supporting victims of gender based violence (GBV) and child cases.
During the workshop, dozens of representatives from the UAGO took part in group discussions on the challenges law officers face in responding to cases of violence against women and children. Challenges included inter-agency cooperation, the referral process for survivors, evidence-gathering, and addressing language barriers in courts for ethnic minorities. Exchanges were also made between representatives from UNODC, UNICEF, the UNFPA and the workshop participants on best practices and opportunities to strengthen the justice sector's ability to protect survivors, enact justice, and ensure fair trials.
The workshop builds on a growing history of cooperation between UNODC and Myanmar's criminal justice sector on responding to GBV. Since 2016, a partnership between UNODC and the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) has resulted in several officer trainings on gender and gender-based violence awareness, with a focus on case management and victim-oriented investigation techniques.
The UAGO workshop was in line with the UN's own efforts at reform by promoting inter-agency collaboration and adherence to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Addressing SDG 5 Gender Equality, SDG 16 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions, and SDG 17 Partnership for the Goals, the joint workshop between UNODC, UNICEF and UNFPA was a successful in utilizing individual UN mandates and strengths to promote an integrated approach to the issues.
In his keynote address, his excellency U Tun Tun Oo, Union Attorney General, stressed how important it is to bring justice to survivors. The Union Attorney General's message highlighted the importance especially in light of figures released earlier this year by the Ministry of Home Affairs, showing a significant rise in the number of reported cases of sexual assault.
To an audience featuring representatives from the UAGO, civil society organisations and the press, the Union Attorney General expressed the Myanmar Government's resolve to "better protect women and children in the future against violence directed at them".
Speaking at the event, UNODC advisor Marie Pegie Cauchois recognised the timeliness of the workshop. The Child Rights Law is expected to be adopted by the Myanmar Parliament later this year and the Prevention of Violence Against Women Law is still being drafted. She highlighted that, "for the successful implementation of these laws, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, capacity building of the justice sector will be needed".
In ending the workshop, UNODC, UNICEF and the UNFPA thanked the members of the justice sector for their active participation and recognised the importance of hearing and exchanging with practitioners to identify needs and avenues for cooperation moving forward. They also shared their readiness to continue work with the UAGO in developing training and other required materials..."
Source/publisher:
UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of publication:
2018-07-05
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNODC Burma/Myanmar, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Children, Women's rights, Children's Rights - studies
Language:
English
more
Description:
"February proved to be a turbulent month in northern Shan and Rakhine States with both locations tracking additional displacements. In Rakhine, fighting between the Arakan Army and Tatmadaw continued with fighting in five of the 17 townships. Fighting also continued in northern Shan state between armed ethnic organizations leading to the displacement in February of 3,700 people bringing the total displacement in the first two months of the year to approximately 7,500 people. In contrast, Kachin State has not experienced armed conflict since September 2018 resulting in the lowest level of fighting since 2016.
In Kachin, the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Myanmar Military (Tatmadaw) in December 2018 continues to hold. It is unclear if, when the ceasefire ends in April, fighting will restart. The Tatmadaw and Kachin State Government are encouraging people to leave IDP camps and return home or to other resettlement sites. Though similar encouragement has been given in the past, the lack of information among IDPs has created an environment of fear and anxiety in many locations. Though IDPs continue to state their desire to return to their place of origin, safety and security issues remain among the principal concerns.
In northern Shan, of the 7,500 people displaced, most have been able to return home. However more than 1,100 remain in camps or camp-like settings—due principally to fighting in Hsipaw and Kyaukme townships—most newly displaced are sheltering in monasteries and are receiving assistance from the local community, private donors and civil society organizations. Assistance has also been provided by some international organizations as well as the Government of Myanmar. IDPs noted the need for additional sanitation, bathing and washing facilities, sleeping mats and interagency partners expressed concern about the length of displacement given the volatility in these areas. Fighting and displacement continued in late February causing injuries to civilians and children.
In Rakhine State, fighting between the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw continued with the use of explosive devices and shelling. In late February the fighting expanded into a sixth township, Mrauk-U, resulting in the temporary displacement of families, including women and children. Access in all six townships—Mrauk U, Kyawktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Maungdaw and Buthidaung—remains limited to mainly urban areas for UNICEF and our partners. The clashes occurred on a near daily basis throughout February displacing over 6,000 people, primarily ethnic Rakhine, to villages, monasteries or camp-like settings. Interagency partners continue to face access restrictions in these areas and are tracking the impact of movement restrictions on both humanitarian and development programming. In addition to fighting within Rakhine State, the Arakan Army and Tatmadaw are fighting in Paletwa Township of southern Chin State. Fighting has thus far caused the displacement of approximately 500 people including ethnic Chin, Khami, Mor, and Rakhine..."
Source/publisher:
reliefweb via UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
Date of publication:
2019-03-15
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Children, Children's Rights - studies, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies)
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.06 MB
more
Description:
"In Rakhine State, fighting between the Myanmar Military or Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army (AA) continues and has spread to include Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya and Ponnagyun. To a lesser extent, fighting has also impacted communities in neighbouring Paletwa township of Chin state. The majority of fighting has occurred in more rural or mountainous areas, however recent fighting has spread to Minbya and Mrauk-U. Reports indicate the use of air strikes, increased use of landmines and other improvised explosive devises. During the month of February, the number of displaced persons increased by over 10,000 with reported displacement of nearly 17,000. (Note: though this Sit Rep covers the month of March, as of April 23 figures had increased to nearly 32,000. End Note).
The Government of Myanmar, local communities, the Red Cross Movement, and the World Food Programme are responding to food and non-food emergency needs. UNICEF and other actors are working with the Government to access populations in need, especially as the IDP figures grow. In central Rakhine, OCHA is leading a process of contingency planning while in northern Rakhine UNICEF is working with UNHCR, UNFPA, and national and international actors to determine additional needs and response priorities. The current pattern of displacement indicates that primarily women and children are moving to monasteries or other ad-hoc settlements while men stay to protect households and assets. Additionally, some IDPs are quickly returning to their homes if the fighting subsides. As fighting continues unabated, concern is growing over the safety of families residing in paddy fields or overcrowded sites with inadequate services. The upcoming monsoon rains could create potentially hazardous conditions without addition support and appropriate planning. In locations not impacted by the current fighting, several agencies have resumed activities where possible.
In a “note to correspondents” released on 19 March, the Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator expressed his concern about the fighting and reported civilian casualties and displacement. He urged all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and uphold responsibilities under international humanitarian and human rights law, as well as allowing access to populations in need. In the central Rakhine IDP camps created in 2012, hosting primarily Rohingya IDPs, the situation remains unchanged. Over 128,000 people remain in overcrowded and under-resourced camps. As the end of the dry season approaches, agencies are preparing to address potential water shortages in Pauktaw IDP camps.
In Chin State, more than 500 people remain displaced due to recent fighting. UNICEF field office staff report that an additional 2,000 people are constrained by fighting and insecurity. UNICEF is working with Sittwe-based NGO partners as well as Government of Myanmar officials in Paletwa and the state capitol Hakha to coordinate evaluation of needs, planning, and response activities.
In Kachin State, a period of calm holds as the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Tatamadaw remains in place. However, humanitarian access, particularly to areas not under government control remains blocked by the Government of Myanmar resulting in a constrained response. National NGO humanitarian agencies continue to provide services in these areas. In review of the travel authorization requests by the humanitarian community, over half have not been approved by the Government. In Kachin and Shan, this results in effective access to less than 45 percent of the people in need.
In Shan State, fighting between ethnic armed organizations or EAOs resulted in an increasing number of IDPs, including in south Shan State. Over 10,000 people have been displaced from six townships; the majority of these have now returned home. Fighting in early March displaced over 600 people in southern Shan State to two locations where they are receiving support from the Government, NGOs and private organizations. In northern Shan State, the displacement, or re-displacement of hundreds of people—many of whom have fled multiple times. Local groups who are generally the first to provide assistance are reporting a strain in response capacity as their resources are stretched by numerous repeated displacements in a short period of time. Though many IDPs have already returned to their homes, for those that remain displaced, they are generally sheltering in religious sites. Interagency assessments note that NFIs and WASH are the most needed support. In Shan, during the month of March, the Mine Risk Working Group noted three deaths and nine injuries due to conflict, landmines and UXO out of a total of five deaths and 22 injuries in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine..."
Source/publisher:
reliefweb via UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
Date of publication:
2019-04-23
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Children, Children's Rights - studies, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.26 MB
more
Description:
"In March 2017, the Myanmar Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement’s Department of Social Welfare (MoSWRR–DSW) led the formation of a working group on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for children in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Finance’s Central Statistical Organization (MoPF-CSO) and with technical and financial support from the UNICEF Myanmar Country office. Operating under the Government’s Social Statistics Cluster (SSC), part of the national coordination mechanism on statistics, the working group met four times1, over the course of 2017 and early 2018, agreeing a list of 45 priority indicators for children across 9 SDGs. These correspond to 28 official SDG indicators broken down into 36 after the inclusion of some SDG indicators components as a separate indicator, and with the addition of 9 national indicators from plans and strategies for sectors like Health; Education; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); Social Protection / Social Welfare.
One major focus of the SDGs is to address inequalities and get governments to commit to the reduction of equity gaps over time. This requires dedicated attention and follow-up through the SDG monitoring process. It requires the disaggregation of data by age (including children), sex and other dimensions as well as a recognition of the universality of the SDGs for all groups of the population in Myanmar and for all countries globally..."
Source/publisher:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)
Date of publication:
2019-02-06
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
''While much of Myanmar’s population continues to benefit from the ongoing process of political and economic reforms, there are close to one million people who remain in need of emergency assistance and protection as a result of ongoing crises in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan. In addition, despite significant progress and investments in disaster risk reduction, millions of people in different parts of Myanmar face the ever-present risk of natural disasters in one of Asia’s most disaster-prone countries.
The aim of the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan is to assist the Government in ensuring that these emergency needs are met and that, as the political transition in the country continues, not one single man, woman or child is left behind.
The response plan sets out the framework within which the United Nations and its partners will respond to the humanitarian assistance and protection needs of crisis-affected people in Myanmar. The plan has been jointly developed by members of the Humanitarian Country Team in Myanmar, in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including Government counterparts, local civil society, representatives of affected communities including the Rohingya, development actors, donors and others.
The Humanitarian Country Team recognizes that humanitarian action is one critical component of a broader, long term engagement that is needed to address the wide range of humanitarian, development, human rights and peace-building challenges in Myanmar in a holistic fashion.
To this end, the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan is aligned with other key documents and strategies that aim to enhance coherence and complementarity across these sectors, such as the Final Report and Recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State (August 2017) and the Strategic Framework for International Engagement in Rakhine (April 2018)...''
Source/publisher:
Reliefweb
Date of publication:
2018-12-19
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Humanitarian assistance to Burma -- contact lists and mixed content, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Armed conflict in Burma - Impact on village life, including health and education, Children's Rights - studies, Human Rights Education
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.82 MB
more