Trafficking: Burma-specific material

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Description: About 28,000 results (August 2017)
Source/publisher: Various sources via Youtube
Date of entry/update: 2017-08-24
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Description: About 747,000 results (March 2018)
Source/publisher: www via Google
Date of entry/update: 2017-12-27
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Language: English +?
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Sub-title: The instability in Myanmar has created a conducive environment for human trafficking at the India-Myanmar border with IT workers being made victims to it
Description: "The political upheaval in Myanmar following the military coup in February 2021 has created a complex and precarious situation for human trafficking between India and Myanmar. India shares a 1,642-km porous border with Myanmar. The instability, unrest, and power struggles within Myanmar have given rise to criminal syndicates that exploit vulnerable individuals and profit from illicit activities. As stated by V Muraleedharan, the Minister of State for External Affairs, more than 400 Indian men in fraudulent IT jobs are stuck in Myanmar. This issue was also highlighted by the recent tweet by Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar, after a meeting with his Myanmar counterpart H.E. U Than Swe during the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) gathering in Bangkok on 16 July. Concerns about human and drug trafficking were emphasised, calling for stronger collaboration among relevant parties to ensure the prompt return of trafficked victims. The instability, unrest, and power struggles within Myanmar have given rise to criminal syndicates that exploit vulnerable individuals and profit from illicit activities. To understand this concern, there is a need to examine the deteriorating human trafficking conditions along the India-Myanmar border post-coup and the challenges faced by authorities in combating this growing menace. Employment scam One of the most significant trends observed in post-coup human trafficking is the promise of fake IT occupations in Thailand, with salaries that seem too good to be true. According to reports, the syndicates’ modus operandi involves enticing IT-skilled youths with the promise of lucrative data entry careers in Thailand, with monthly salaries ranging from US$5,000 to US$8,000. These attractive job opportunities are advertised on social media platforms and through recruiting agents based in Dubai and India. The “recruits” (mostly belonging to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu) are then transported to Thailand using the visa-on-arrival facility. Upon arrival, they are taken to Mae Sot in Tak Province. Under the cover of night, they are made to cross the Moei River to illegally enter Myawaddy. Once in this remote bordering state, they are coerced into working as scammers within the facilities set up by the syndicates. One of the most significant trends observed in post-coup human trafficking is the promise of fake IT occupations in Thailand, with salaries that seem too good to be true. Fortunately, a significant number of those held captive have managed to maintain communication, and authorities are in contact with them. The harrowing tales of the rescued victims about not being provided proper food, sleep, or sanitary conditions have been quite disturbing. They were overworked and severely punished for not meeting appropriate targets. Challenges faced by Indian authorities The Indian government, particularly the Ministry of External Affairs, is confronted with multifaceted challenges in addressing human trafficking issues. The Myawaddy region, where the trafficking issue is the worst, is located within Myanmar’s Kayin province which shares a border with Thailand. In this remote area, armed militia groups hold greater control, limiting the influence of Myanmar’s military government. As a result, New Delhi encounters numerous intricate challenges in its efforts to rescue the stranded Indians. The lack of cooperation from the Myanmar authorities due to the ongoing political crisis hampers effective collaboration in tackling this issue. Additionally, the vast and difficult terrain along the border poses challenges in patrolling and securing the area adequately. Despite the daunting challenges, Indian authorities, along with the Indian missions in Bangkok and Yangon, have been actively working to rescue the victims and repatriate them to India. The collaboration between different agencies and law enforcement bodies has resulted in the successful rescue of 292 individuals who have been brought back to India through repatriation efforts. However, many still remain trapped. The Myawaddy region, where the trafficking issue is the worst, is located within Myanmar’s Kayin province which shares a border with Thailand. Bureaucratic and administrative delays also remain a major concern. The process usually involves the rescued victims crossing into Thailand. Upon reaching Thailand, the Thai armed forces detain them due to their illegal entry since the captives lack proper travel documentation to enter Myanmar, and their return to Thailand is also not legally recognised. As a result, Indian diplomats are faced with the challenging task of persuading the relevant authorities to recognise those rescued from Myanmar as victims of a human smuggling racket. This process involves extensive time and documentation efforts. Points of deliberation Enhancing collaboration between border control agencies and establishing direct communication channels between India and Myanmar can serve as a potent strategy to combat trafficking in persons and foster cross-border and regional cooperation. This was the very reason for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed between India and Myanmar in 2019 for enhancing bilateral cooperation on the prevention, rescue, recovery, and repatriation of persons who have been trafficked. However, the toppling of the civilian government made it difficult to understand whether the military government will honour the MoU and the clauses set within it that includes ensuring speedy investigation and prosecution of traffickers and organised crime syndicates in either country, and also setting up Working Groups/ Task Forces to make efforts to prevent human trafficking. The solidification of legal frameworks to tackle trafficking also needs to be ensured. While both nations have enacted laws that criminalise trafficking and protect victims and have also ratified international conventions related to human trafficking, the current political instability hinders proper and prompt measures to ensure the safety and protection of trafficked victims. In this regard, improved coordination between India and Myanmar’s law enforcement agencies is essential to effectively combat trafficking. Joint operations and intelligence sharing can help intercept traffickers and rescue victims. While both nations have enacted laws that criminalise trafficking and protect victims and have also ratified international conventions related to human trafficking, the current political instability hinders proper and prompt measures to ensure the safety and protection of trafficked victims. Additionally, raising awareness about the risks of trafficking and educating potential victims about the signs of exploitation are crucial steps in combating this issue. A delay in the publication of the advisory on fake IT jobs was noted and, thus, such negligence in the future needs to be addressed. Dissemination of reliable information is critical to restrict the spread of trafficking networks from preying on individuals. Alongside rescue efforts, it is equally important to provide rehabilitation and support to the victims to help them reintegrate into society and rebuild their lives after such traumatic experiences. Proper psychological evaluation and treatment will be essential in this regard. Addressing this complex issue requires concerted efforts from both India and Myanmar, along with international cooperation, to ensure the safety and well-being of the victims and to combat this grave violation of human rights..."
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Source/publisher: Observer Research Foundation
2023-08-01
Date of entry/update: 2023-08-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "London, UK - The Burma Human Rights Network is alarmed by ongoing reports of traffickers moving Rohingya from Bangladesh to India. While far fewer Rohingya are trafficked to India than Malaysia and Indonesia, it remains an overlooked area of concern. India’s treatment of Rohingya and other refugees is also a serious concern, with refugees staging protests, including hunger strikes, inside Hiranagar Jail, Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir. Eight refugees were reportedly injured when authorities intervened to stop the peaceful protest. BHRN calls on authorities in India to facilitate dialogue with Rohingya refugees and grant them full human rights. Refugees should be afforded the opportunity to work, go to school, and move freely. Furthermore, the international community should directly challenge the discriminatory policies of Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. “The Rohingya are shuffled like merchandise all over the world by callous traffickers taking advantage of their desperate situation. India should end the indefinite detention of the Rohingya and other refugees and uphold its commitment to international legal obligations,” said BHRN’s Executive Director, Kyaw Win. Indian media is reporting an increase in Rohingya being trafficked into the country. The most recent arrest took place on 18 July, when Assam police arrested a man named Partha Sen in connection to the trafficking of 14 people, including four Rohingya. Rohingya trafficked from Bangladesh are frequently men looking for work or women trafficked for marriage because their families can’t afford a dowry. Rohingya, Bangladeshis, and immigrants in India are frequently referred to as ‘intruders’ and shown contempt by the government and many of the nationalists within the country. Much of the animosity towards the Rohingya intersects with the country’s widespread Islamophobia. India has a history of poor treatment of Burmese refugees, detaining them in poor conditions, and has sent some back to Burma in violation of the principle of nonrefoulment. Since 2017 India has repeatedly sought to send the Rohingya back to Burma, despite the genocide against them and ongoing conflict in the country. Political parties and media in India must address their use of incendiary language against migrant populations. Anti-Muslim rhetoric in India has created a deep division in the country, resulting in frequent targeted violence against minorities. The situation needs to be addressed and corrected for the sake of the Rohingya, minorities in India, and the country as a whole. Organisation’s Background BHRN is based in London and operates across Burma/Myanmar working for human rights, minority rights and religious freedom in the country. BHRN has played a crucial role in advocating for human rights and religious freedom with politicians and world leaders..."
Source/publisher: Burma Human Rights Network
2023-07-24
Date of entry/update: 2023-07-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: The growth of human rights atrocities in Myanmar has spilled over to the region – including Chinese nationals forced into labor.
Description: "Since the 2021 Myanmar coup, over 2,200 people have been killed by the military. The military doubled down on political repression by executing well-known political activists and burning villages with members participating in armed resistance. Threats to human security in Myanmar have spread to the region as observed by the outflow of refugees, human trafficking of women and children, drug smuggling and so on. Foreigners have also become victims of human trafficking in the wake of the Myanmar coup. Dozens of Chinese-speaking people are being kidnapped from Thailand to Myanmar for scam activities. In May 2022, Malaysians were lured by offers of high-salary jobs in Thailand but subsequently trafficked to Myanmar. Later, Taiwanese and Hong Kongers also fell into similar job scams and were enslaved. The victims were imprisoned and coerced to work for crime syndicates as online scammers. Those who disobey or underperform face physical punishments or worse forms of abuse. Families of the victims were asked to pay ransoms in exchange for the release of their loved ones. Myanmar is not the only country where human trafficking gangs operate. Special economic zones in Cambodia and Laos are notorious human trafficking hubs as well. However, being enslaved in Myanmar is particularly problematic given the volatile situation in the country. Many victims are kept near the Shwe Kokko area in Myawaddy, Karen State. Shwe Kokko sits on the Thai-Myanmar border. The area is controlled by the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) affiliated with the Myanmar military. Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. In 2017, Yatai International, owned by She Zhijiang, a Chinese national who holds Cambodian citizenship, formed a joint venture with the Karen BGF’s company Chit Linn Myaing Co Ltd, to develop a $15 billion special economic zone (SEZ) in Shwe Kokko. The project was portrayed as a high-tech hub with an airport, industrial zone, villas, hotels and other facilities. With the strong presence of Chinese investors, workers, and visitors, some dubbed the area Chinatown in Karen State. Evidence shows that the so-called high-tech hub runs casinos and extends into scam and other illegal activities. She is a fugitive in China. The Thai authorities arrested him in August 2022 for running illegal online gambling operations. She’s Yatai International claimed that the Shwe Kokko project was part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), capitalizing on the loosely defined undertaking. In 2017, Chinese state media Xinhua’s Yangon office once reported the Shwe Kokko project was an important component of the BRI. Furthermore, the project was reportedly constructed by state-owned enterprise China Metallurgical Group Corporation. As reports about casinos and other crimes connected to the project surfaced, the Karen government suspended the project in 2019. The National League of Democracy (NLD)-led government also investigated the project the following year. Beijing subsequently dissociated itself from the controversy and stated that the SEZ was a private investment. Prior to the coup, Karen organizations, including the Karen Peace Support Network, exposed illicit activities surrounding the Shwe Kokko project. Myanmar nationals were tricked into working in Shwe Kokko but ended up being forced into labor. One victim was rescued by an elected lawmaker in Karen State in 2020. Following the coup, however, these informational and rescue channels have been shut down. Beijing promised to rescue trafficked victims from China and Hong Kong. However, to tackle the problem, the Myanmar government’s commitment to crack down on human trafficking criminals is essential. To save the victims from the Shwe Kokko area, the coup government must act. Nonetheless, the military regime does not have a reputation for civilian protection. It loots citizens’ homes, shoots at children, tortures dissidents to death, sets fire to villages, and commits other mass atrocities. It is dubious what would incentivize the military to care about the lives of foreigners. Moreover, the Karen BGF is under the partial command of the military. It fought alongside the regime against other armed resistance groups in Karen State. An investigative report even suggests that the coup government also profits from the lucrative business in the Shwe Kokko area. As the BGF is linked to the military, the coup government’s unwillingness or inability to clamp down on transnational crimes is troublesome. Given the cordial relations between Beijing and the military, Beijing should have leverage in the situation. We hope for the best, that China’s diplomatic efforts can successfully bring the captives home. However, Beijing should revisit its relations with the Myanmar junta, who may be complicit in the kidnapping activities. Contrary to international opprobrium after the coup, China and Russia are the two permeant members of the United Nations Security Council that have granted legitimacy to the military. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing has upheld the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. It continues sticking to the golden rule in foreign policy despite no sign that the Myanmar military restrains its brutality. Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. Beijing even reassured the junta that it would always support Myanmar in safeguarding sovereignty when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi received the military-appointed foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in Anhui province in April 2022. Both sides agreed to advance the BRI projects along the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) and develop a community with a shared future. The BRI aims to increase transcontinental connectivity. The infrastructure projects have great potential to enhance the economic development of China and the host countries if the projects are implemented transparently and responsibly. However, it is questionable whether the CMEC project implementation can comply with social and environmental standards in the host country under the current regime. It appears that the BRI inadvertently reinforces the troublesome status quo in Myanmar. Financing the military and boosting its legitimacy inevitably intensify domestic human rights abuses and transnational crimes. The escalation of human rights atrocities in Myanmar and human trafficking in the country contradicts the visions presented by Beijing. Since the coup, Beijing reiterated its preference for political dialogue instead of pressure as a strategy to de-escalate the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. However, the growth of human rights atrocities in Myanmar has spilled over to the region. China’s business-as-usual approach in post-coup Myanmar may undermine regional human security and harm its international image. With an ambition to be recognized as a responsible power, it is time for Beijing to review its relations with the Myanmar junta. You have read 4 of your 5 free articles this month..."
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Source/publisher: "The Diplomat" (Japan)
2022-08-23
Date of entry/update: 2022-08-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Myanmar logged a total of 111 human trafficking cases in its states and regions last year, state-run media reported Tuesday, quoting the Anti-Trafficking Police Force's figures as saying. During the whole 2020, 167 people including 39 young girls were victimized while 339 traffickers were charged in connection with the cases. Regionally, Shan state registered with 37 cases, followed by Yangon region with 30 cases as well as Mandalay region and Kachin state with 10 cases each, among others. There were 22 domestic trafficking in persons in terms of forced labor, prostitution and forced marriage during the period. In 2019, 358 people including 297 females were victimized in connection with 239 human trafficking cases across the country. Under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law, people who smuggle women and children are sentenced to at least 10 years or up to lifetime sentence or fine while money or property received through trafficking will be confiscated by the government..."
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
2021-01-05
Date of entry/update: 2021-01-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: China is the top destination for victims of human trafficking in Myanmar, the police anti-human trafficking task force said.
Description: "The task force said that out of the 239 anti-human trafficking cases recorded in 2019, 196 cases were forced marriage to Chinese nationals. “There were 239 cases of trafficking in persons that we resolved nationwide. Of which, 196 cases had China as the destination,” said a member of the anti-human trafficking police force. Human trafficking incidents to China include 188 cases of forced marriage, two cases of prostitution, one case of forced adoption, three cases of forced labour, and 2 cases of surrogacy, police said. Police said it filed charges on the 732 suspects in all the cases. The 239 cases comprised of 358 victims, 61 male and 297 female. Aside from China, other destinations for the human trafficking cases are Thailand and Malaysia involving prostitution and forced labour. Yangon Region and Shan State has the most number of human trafficking incidents, recording 65 cases each,” the police officer said. Other regions and states where human trafficking cases were reported were Mandalay, 28; Ayeyarwady, 28; Kachin, 25; Bago, 12; Mon, 4; Sagaing, 3; Kayin, 3; Nay Pyi Taw, 2; Tanintharyi, 2; Magwe, 1; and Chin, 1..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
2020-01-09
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Consumer and corporate-focused approaches to labour exploitation and trafficking are ineffective.
Description: "Since 2010, the world has witnessed a marked shift in efforts to combat labour exploitation. As consumers have become more aware of labour abuses, international companies have been forced to scrutinise labour practices not only at their offices and sales outlets but also at the various factories involved in manufacturing their products. In accordance with laws like the 2015 UK Modern Slavery Act and 2010 California Supply Chain Transparency Act, multinational retailers like Walmart, and global brands like Zara, Gap, H & M and C & A have recently publicised modern slavery statements expressing a commitment to addressing forced labour. Such laws focus on increasing the transparency of the production process, which involves numerous levels of sub-contracting, often across continents - a pervasive practice that ensures low manufacturing costs. To comply with new regulations, many companies have established new corporate divisions for responsible sourcing and global sustainability, promising to investigate, audit, monitor, educate, and reduce the incidence of forced labour and human trafficking in the different factories they engage with..."
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Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
2020-01-09
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Myanmar’s top human rights body said Wednesday it will investigate the domestic fishing industry’s use of workers sold to operators by human traffickers following a case involving a university student who went missing for weeks after being abducted by alleged traffickers. Myat Thura Tun, a history major at Dagon University in Yangon, was trafficked by brokers on Oct. 2 and sold to the operators of a fishing raft in Kha Pyat village, Pyapon township, in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady region, for 700,000 kyats (U.S. $456), according to local media reports. He had worked on the raft for about 45 days when his family tracked him down and secured his release last week after paying 800,000 kyats (U.S. $521). The boy was physically and mentally traumatized, with the upper part of his left ear cut off and injuries on the rest of his body. Myat Thura Tun indicated that he had been tortured by a supervisor on the raft, local media said. Earlier this week, Myo Nyunt, spokesman of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), told the Myanmar media organization Mizzima that the party would work with the regional government in handling the case, meet with the victim, and discuss ways to eliminate human trafficking..."
Source/publisher: "Radio Free Asia (RFA)" (USA)
2019-11-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The family of a 17-year-old Myanmar woman trafficked to China more than a year and a half ago said Wednesday that relatives recently had contact with her but they fear that her Chinese abductor might sell her again, amid efforts by NGOs and anti-human trafficking authorities to locate and rescue her. In April 2018, a local couple from the teenager’s neighborhood in Taungoo township in southern central Myanmar’s Bago region told her they could arrange for her to get a job in China, where salaries for blue-collar work are higher than they are in Myanmar, the young woman’s mother said. Unbeknownst to the young woman, Thuzar Aye, the couple were brokers for human traffickers, and once she was in their hands, the person for whom they worked sold her to a Chinese man in the border town of Ruili across the river from Muse in Myanmar’s northern Shan state, her mother said. Thuzar Aye was forced to have the man’s baby later that year, she said. Now that Thuzar Aye’s family recently had contact with the teenager, her relatives are worried that she might be sold again to someone else..."
Source/publisher: "Radio Free Asia (RFA)" (USA)
2019-11-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "A Myanmar woman trafficked to China seven years ago and who bore four children while in captivity has been returned to her family, an NGO worker and the woman’s sister told RFA Monday. The 47-year-old woman, whose leg had been broken by her captors, was found by Chinese police and transferred to Myanmar authorities in the border town of Muse in Myanmar’s northern Shan state on Nov. 1, they said. She was then sent back to her home in Bago city in central Myanmar’s Bago region on Sunday. Her relatives requested that RFA’s Myanmar Service not publish the name of the woman. “She has a broken leg and is mentally disabled,” said Thaung Htun from the Muse Humanitarian Organization which helped the woman return home. “She was trafficked, forced to get pregnant, and has had four babies,” he said. “She is now 47 years old. They must have thrown her out as she is getting old.” Thaung Htun said Chinese authorities found the woman throwing away Chinese currency notes along a road, Thaung Htun said..."
Source/publisher: "Radio Free Asia (RFA)" (USA)
2019-11-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Traffickers are increasingly preying on the despair of women who feel they have no choice but to seek work across the border.
Description: "Conflict in Myanmar's northern state of Kachin is forcing more people from their homes. A ceasefire between the government and the Kachin Independence Army ended in 2011. Since then, instability has been putting many families at risk, including women who are being trafficked to China..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
2019-07-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: brothel, KTV, sex trade, Trafficking, UWSA
Topic: brothel, KTV, sex trade, Trafficking, UWSA
Description: "The United Wa State Army (UWSA) on Saturday handed two women accused of human trafficking to police officers from Pegu Division who traveled to Lashio, northern Shan State, to take them into custody, according to local sources. Nyi Rang, a spokesperson for the UWSA based in Lashio, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the armed group arrested the two female human trafficking suspects as requested by Myanmar police. “For us, our only duty was to arrest them,” said Nyi Rang, who referred requests for further details about the trafficking allegation to the Myanmar police. The UWSA controls the Wa Self-Administered Division in northern Shan State. Nyi Rang said reports of human trafficking are not uncommon in the region. Myanmar police first asked the UWSA liaison office in Lashio to arrest the two women, who were wanted for alleged involvement in human trafficking and were staying in Panghsang, the capital of the Wa region. “We asked our police in Panghsang to arrest them,” said Nyi Rang, who posted a photo of UWSA troops handing over the two detainees to Myanmar police in Lashio on July 20. Myanmar police sent letters to the UWSA on July 2 describing the women’s alleged trafficking of a woman from Taungoo District in Pegu Division..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2019-07-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "This year, more than 100 human trafficking survivors from have returned to Sagaing Region from China. Doh Athan partners with the Monywa Gazette to tell the story of Daw Mi Maw, a widow who was promised a better life in China and then found herself working long hours in a squalid factory for no wages. She spent everything she had to escape back to Myanmar, but tells of many undocumented Myanmar migrants who are still trapped on the other side..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar" via Dohathan
2019-09-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Authorities on both sides of the border have failed to stop the trafficking of hundreds of women from Myanmar to China, says a new report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday. The 112-page report, titled Give Us a Baby and We’ll Let You Go: Trafficking of Kachin ‘Brides’ from Myanmar to China, documents anecdotal evidence from 37 victims of the trafficking trade who later escaped, and several families of trafficking victims. The women, originating from Myanmar’s northern Shan and Kachin States, were typically sold for between $3,000 to $13,000 after being lured across the border by the promise of good jobs. Many of the victims testify to being locked up, raped and forced to bear the children of their captors. The report’s author says that China’s now abolished one-child policy, which began in 1979, is a major cause of the current trafficking crisis because it created a gender imbalance in China. Forced to have only one child, Chinese parents often abandoned female babies or had sex-selective abortions in favor of males, leading to a shortfall in the female population of an estimated 30 to 40 million..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Time"
2019-03-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Thailand’s government will send back to Myanmar some 700 victims of human trafficking who have been held in rehabilitation shelters after an identification process, Myanmar and Thai government officials said on Thursday.
Description: "The officials announced the plan at a press conference after the 23rd Myanmar-Thailand Case Management Meeting on the Return and Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking at a hotel in Yangon. “We are transferring back trafficked victims whose court hearings are over and those who have been confirmed as citizens of their native country. We will transfer them in two or three batches over the course of a year,” said Sunee Srisangatrakullert, director of Thailand’s Division of Anti-Trafficking in Persons. Sunee said people trafficked to Thailand usually fall into three categories – forced labour, those forced to beg, and women forced into prostitution – and the number of victims from Myanmar has been higher than those from Laos or Cambodia over the past two years. There about 700 trafficking victims from Myanmar in Thai rehabilitation shelters. “Of the number, some 600 are presumed to be Myanmar citizens. We will bring home those who have been confirmed as our citizens,” said Ma Khine Su Lwin, assistant director of Myanmar’s Department of Rehabilitation..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
2019-08-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "A national workshop with representatives from Myanmar's Central Authority and related government departments was organised in Nay Pyi Taw last week to assist the country to more effectively address transnational crime and security challenges within the framework of the ASEAN Vision 2025. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of Myanmar and its officials to engage in cross-border criminal justice cooperation, in particular mutual legal assistance (MLA) and extradition. Throughout Southeast Asia, transnational organised crime groups and their networks profit from illicit activities that range from drug and precursor trafficking, to human trafficking and migrant smuggling, to the trade of illegal timber and endangered species. Along with the launch of the ASEAN Political-Security Community, the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 has helped bring about freer flows of goods, services, labour and money. If recent evidence is correct, legitimate economic flows will continue to increase. While this is positive for the region as a whole, it also provides increased opportunities for transnational crime groups to engage in criminal activities. Illicit flows and movements mirror and travel alongside legal flows and movements, and as these illegal flows expand, criminal and terrorist networks will continue to benefit. This will only serve to further challenge governance, law enforcement and criminal justice systems of countries in the region. During the workshop, representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Union Attorney General's Office, the Ministry of Border Affairs (Na Ta La), the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population and the General Administrative Department worked through a series of exercises designed to increase their understanding and ability to utilise MLA and extradition. As a result, they were provided the opportunity to not only learn more about the legal traditions and systems regarding MLA and extradition in other countries, but also to strengthen relationships and understanding between the various Government departments within Myanmar that form part of its Central Authority and work on these issues..."
Source/publisher: UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
2017-08-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Creator/author: Tin Thoung, Nyein Thet Nwe, U Zaw Moe Aung, Zin Nyo Nyo Win
Source/publisher: IOM Myanmar
2019-06-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Description: "Seng Moon’s family fled fighting in Myanmar’s Kachin State in 2011 and wound up struggling to survive in a camp for internally displaced people. In 2014, when Seng Moon was 16 and attending fifth grade, her sister-in-law said she knew of a job as a cook in China’s neighboring Yunnan province. Seng Moon did not want to go, but the promised wage was far more than she could make living in the IDP camp, so her family decided she shouldn’t pass it up. In the car, Seng Moon’s sister-in-law gave her something she said prevented car sickness. Seng Moon fell asleep immediately. “When I woke up my hands were tied behind my back,” she said. “I cried and shouted and asked for help.” By then, Seng Moon was in China, where her sister-in-law left her with a Chinese family. After several months her sister-in-law returned and told her, “Now you have to get married to a Chinese man,” and took her to another house. Said Seng Moon: My sister-in-law left me at the home. …The family took me to a room. In that room I was tied up again. …They locked the door—for one or two months.… Each time when the Chinese man brought me meals, he raped me…After two months, they dragged me out of the room. The father of the Chinese man said, “Here is your husband. Now you are a married couple. Be nice to each other and build a happy family.” My sister-in-law left me at the home. …The family took me to a room. In that room I was tied up again. …They locked the door—for one or two months.… Each time when the Chinese man brought me meals, he raped me…After two months, they dragged me out of the room. The father of the Chinese man said, “Here is your husband. Now you are a married couple. Be nice to each other and build a happy family.”
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch
2019-03-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Informed by locals, police went to Karimdad Mia’s jetty in Ujantiya area of the upazila around 1:30am and rescued the Rohingyas, who had gathered there to board a Malaysia-bound engine boat, said Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, additional superintendent of Cox’s Bazar police. Some Rohingyas and the crew of the boat managed to escape, the official said, adding that the rescued Rohingyas fled from the refugee camp in Kutupalong of Cox’s Bazar. They were allured of opportunity to be sent to Malaysia by traffickers, Iqbal Hossain also said. Police are trying to identify the human traffickers and their middlemen operating in the area, he added. In St Martin’s Island, a patrol team of Coast Guard Bangladesh intercepted a boat carrying Rohingya refugees in Dakkhin Beach area last night, according to a press release of the Bangladesh Coast Guard’s Detective Branch. They rescued 17 Rohingya refugees who were being trafficked to Malaysia and also arrested five traffickers, the press release added..."
Source/publisher: The Daily Star
2019-05-18
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The Myanmar and Chinese governments have failed to stem the trafficking of ethnic Kachin women and girls as “brides” to families in China. Trafficking survivors said that trusted people, including family members, promised them jobs in China, but instead sold them for the equivalent of US$3,000 to $13,000 to Chinese families. In China, they were typically locked in a room and raped so they would become pregnant..."
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch
2019-03-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Kachin
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Description: ''On April 30, 2015, Thai authorities announced the discovery of a mass grave in a makeshift camp in a forested area near the Malaysian border. The grave contained more than 30 bodies of suspected victims of human trafficking believed to be Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi nationals. Less than one month later, on May 25, the Royal Malaysian Police announced the discovery of 139 graves and 28 suspected human-trafficking camps in Wang Kelian, Perlis State, Malaysia. Rohingya Muslims have faced military-led attacks and severe persecution in Myanmar for decades. Fortify Rights, the United Nations, and other organizations determined that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Myanmar authorities committed genocide against Rohingya—a crime that continues to today. These crimes forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to flee the country in recent years. Most fled with hopes of finding sanctuary in Bangladesh and Malaysia, the nearest predominantly Muslim countries. This report documents how a transnational criminal syndicate—a group of individuals or organizations working together for common criminal interests— in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia preyed on Rohingya refugees, deceiving them into boarding ships supposedly bound for Malaysia. Motivated by profit, between 2012 and 2015, a transnational criminal syndicate held Rohingya as well as Bangladeshis at sea and in human-trafficking camps on the MalaysiaThailand border. Traffickers provided their captives with three options: raise upwards of 7,000 Malaysian Ringgit (US$2,000) in exchange for release, be sold into further exploitation, or die in the camps. Members of a syndicate tortured, killed, raped, and otherwise abused untold numbers of men, women, and children, buying and selling them systematically in many cases, in concert with government officials. Days after the mass-grave discovery in Thailand in 2015, Thai authorities arrested a Rohingya man from Myanmar named Anwar, also known as Soe Naing, for alleged involvement in a human-trafficking ring. Thai authorities went on to arrest 102 other suspects, including senior Thai government officials. Thai authorities then began the largest human-trafficking trial in the history of Southeast Asia. On July 19, 2017, a newly established, specialized human-trafficking court in Bangkok convicted 62 defendants for crimes related to the trafficking of Rohingya and Bangladeshis to Malaysia via Thailand. Those found guilty included nine Thai government officials, including Lieutenant General Manas Kongpaen, a military general who reportedly received approximately US$1 million (3.49 million Malaysian Ringgit) in profits from the trafficking trade, including payments amounting to more than US$400,000 (1.39 million Malaysian Ringgit) in just over one month alone. In contrast, since 2015, Malaysian courts convicted only four individuals of traffickingrelated offenses connected to the mass graves discovered at Wang Kelian. All those convicted were foreigners, including one Thai national, two individuals from Myanmar, and a Bangladeshi national. The Royal Malaysian Police reportedly arrested 12 police officers but eventually released them due to a lack of evidence. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)—the agency mandated to protect refugees—estimates that more than 170,000 people boarded ships from Myanmar and Bangladesh bound for Thailand and Malaysia from 2012 to 2015 and that the criminal syndicate organizing the vessels generated between US$50 million (174.5 million Malaysian Ringgit) and US$100 million (349 million Malaysian Ringgit) annually. Each ship reportedly earned traffickers an estimated US$60,000 (209,400 Malaysian Ringgit) in profits, according to UNHCR. The majority of people trafficked during this period were Rohingya Muslims; however, in late 2014 and 2015, the syndicate began targeting Bangladeshi nationals as well. This is a joint report by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM, referred to in this report as “the Commission”) and Fortify Rights. It documents human rights violations perpetrated against Rohingya Muslims trafficked from Myanmar and Bangladesh to Thailand and Malaysia from 2012 to 2015, the discovery of mass graves in Wang Kelian in Malaysia’s Perlis State, and the Malaysian authorities’ response to the discovery of the mass graves. It analyzes the violence against Rohingya within the framework of relevant international law...''
2019-03-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-04-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: ''When a maid from Myanmar fell from the window of a high-rise Singapore flat, the incident shocked the public. Then came the news that the girl was just 15 years old. In 2016, a 101 East investigation revealed that girls from Myanmar were being trafficked to Singapore to work as domestic helpers. One year on, we discover that the practice continues despite laws in both countries designed to prevent it. On this episode, 101 East exposes the powerful, corrupt forces still profiting from the labour of Myanmar's vulnerable young girls...''
Source/publisher: Aljazeera
2018-03-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "ဤသင်တန်းလမ်းညွှန်သည် လူကုန်ကူးမှုနှင့် အန္တရာယ်ရှိသော ရွှေ့ပြောင်းသွားလာခြင်း ဆိုင်ရာ သတင်းအချက်အလက်၊ အကြောင်းအရာများကို အခြေခံပြီး ဘဝတွက်တာ ကျွမ်းကျင်စရာ အခြေခံအချက်များကိုလည်း ထည့်သွင်းထားကာ အပြန်အလှန် ပြောဆို ဆွေးနွေးနိုင်သည့် နည်းလမ်းဖြင့် သင်တန်းပေးနိုင်ရန် စီမံရေးဆွဲထားပါသည်။ သင်တန်းတက်ရောက်ပြီးသူများသည် လူကုန်ကူးမှုနှင့် အန္တရာယ်ရှိသော ရွှေ့ပြောင်း သွားလာခြင်းဆိုင်ရာ သတင်းအချက်အလက်၊ အသိပညာ ဗဟုသုတများကို ရရှိသွားပြီး မိမိရပ်ရွာဒေသတွင် ရှိသောသူများအား ပြန်လည်ပြောဆို ဝေမျှနိုင်ရန် ရည်ရွယ်ပါသည်။ ထိုသို့ ပြန်လည်ပြောဆို ဝေမျှခြင်းအားဖြင့် လူတိုင်းတွင် ဘဝတွက်တာ ကျွမ်းကျင်စရာ အခြေခံအချက်များ ရှိပြီး ရရှိထားသော သတင်းအချက်အလက်၊ အသိပညာ ဗဟုသုတ များကို အသုံးပြုကာ လူကုန်ကူးမှု မခံရစေရန်၊ မိမိကိုယ်ကို ကာကွယ်တတ်ရန်နှင့် လူကုန်ကူးခံရပြီးပါကလည်း မိမိ၏ လူမှုဝန်းကျင်တွင် ပုံမှန်ပြန်လည် နေထိုင်နိုင်စေရန် ဖြစ်ပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher: Asia Foundation
2017-11-00
Date of entry/update: 2018-10-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 3.94 MB
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Description: BURMA: Tier 3 "The Government of Burma does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore Burma was downgraded to Tier 3. Despite the lack of significant efforts, the government continued to prosecute and convict traffickers, and it identified more victims than the previous year. It also committed resources to awareness-raising efforts aimed at preventing child soldier recruitment and use. However, Burmese armed forces (Tatmadaw) operations in Rakhine State dislocated hundreds of thousands of Rohingya and members of other ethnic groups, many of whom were subjected to exploitation in Burma, Bangladesh, and elsewhere in the region as a result of their displacement. While the Tatmadaw continued efforts to identify and demobilize child soldiers among its ranks, verified incidents of unlawful child soldier recruitment and use continued, and the government took punitive action against former child soldiers for desertion, alleged fraud, and defamation. Authorities continued to prevent the UN from playing a constructive role in eradicating the recruitment and use of children by ethnic armed groups (EAGs)—a practice that reportedly increased due to the security situation in restive areas. The Tatmadaw continued to require troops to source their own labor and supplies from local communities, thereby perpetuating the labor exploitation of adults and children. There were reports that government officials were complicit in both sex and labor trafficking, including by hindering law enforcement efforts against the perpetrators. The government reported some efforts to seek criminal accountability for officials complicit in trafficking, but not for the recruitment and use of child soldiers..."
Source/publisher: US Dept of State
2018-06-28
Date of entry/update: 2018-07-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Thousands of Rohingya girls continue to face sexual exploitation, forced marriage and trafficking in refugee camps.hey have survived rape and the slaughter of their families. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya girls and women fled Myanmar to escape a military crackdown... In Bangladesh?s refugee camps they thought they would be safe. But inside the tents that house almost a million Rohingya refugees, women and girls are being bought, sold and given away. Girls are being forced into marriage because relatives can?t afford to feed them, or are being lured to brothels with the promise of good jobs. We investigate the dangers still facing Rohingya women and meet the people seeking to exploit them" ...Rohingya, Bangladesh, Sexual assault, Asia, Myanmar
Source/publisher: Aljazeera (101 East)
2018-03-08
Date of entry/update: 2018-03-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "The United States has decided to place Myanmar on its global list of worst offenders in human trafficking, officials said, a move aimed at prodding the country?s new democratically elected government and its still-powerful military to do more to curb the use of child soldiers and forced labour. The reprimand of Myanmar comes despite U.S. efforts to court the strategically important country to help counteract China?s rise in the region and build a Southeast Asian bulwark against Beijing?s territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea. Myanmar?s demotion, part of the State Department?s closely watched annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report due to be released on Thursday, also appears intended to send a message of U.S. concern about continued widespread persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in the Buddhist-majority nation. The country?s new leader, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, has been criticized internationally for neglecting the Rohingya issue since her administration took office this year. Washington has faced a complex balancing act over Myanmar, a former military dictatorship that has emerged from decades of international isolation since launching sweeping political changes in 2011. President Barack Obama?s diplomatic opening to Myanmar is widely seen as a key foreign policy achievement as he enters his final seven months in office, but even as he has eased some sanctions he has kept others in place to maintain leverage for further reforms. At the same time, Washington wants to keep Myanmar from slipping back into China?s orbit at a time when U.S. officials are trying to forge a unified regional front. The U.S. decision to drop Myanmar to ?Tier 3,” the lowest grade, putting it alongside countries like Iran, North Korea and Syria, was confirmed by a U.S. official in Washington and a Bangkok-based official from an international organisation informed of the move. Another person familiar with the matter said: ?I?m not going to turn you away from this conclusion.” All spoke on condition of anonymity..."
Source/publisher: Reuters UK
2016-06-29
Date of entry/update: 2016-06-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Trafficking and Militarized Femininity on the Burma-China Border Kachin State is an ethnic region in northern Burma that has long been in conflict with the central Burmese government.1 In 2011, a seventeen-year cease-fire was broken, resulting in the resumption of active warfare between the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)—the political arm of the Kachin people—and the Burmese military, at the government?s behest. In spite of ongoing attempts at peace negotiations, the Kachin Women?s Association of Thailand has documented an alarming number of atrocities—including rape, arbitrary arrest and torture—against civilians (Kachin Women?s Association of Thailand, 2013). The area has been documented to be an active conflict zone resulting in one of the worst humanitarian crisis? in the Mekong Sub-Region (Human Rights Watch, 2014). According to a report by the prior Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, over 120,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have fled to border areas of Burma and China to escape the fighting (Quintana, 2014), and these communities suffer from a lack of basic necessities and little to no foreign aid. These desperate conditions have left civilians—women, in particular—very vulnerable. As a result, trafficking in women ? often to Yunnan Province as forced brides ? is on the rise. This form of trafficking, however, has not been made a priority on the policy agendas of the Burmese or Chinese governments, and there is currently no official anti-trafficking policy operating within Kachin State..."
Creator/author: Erin M. Kamler
Source/publisher: International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-­26 July 2015
2015-07-26
Date of entry/update: 2015-08-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 209.76 KB
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Description: Burma/Myanmar remains on Tier 2.
Source/publisher: United States Department of State
2015-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2015-08-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 253.21 KB
Local URL:
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Description: "...After the country of 50 million started moving from dictatorship to democracy in 2011, newfound freedoms of expression lifted the lid off deep-seated hatred of the dark-skinned religious minority, making them even more vulnerable. Up to 280 Rohingya have been killed since mid-2012, and some 140,000 were chased from their homes by machete-wielding extremist Buddhist mobs. They now live under apartheid-like conditions in camps where they can?t work, get an adequate education or receive medical care. They have been told there?s little chance they will be allowed to vote in upcoming general elections and that those who cannot prove their families have been in the country since it gained independence from Britain in 1948 could face deportation or indefinite detention in camps. As result, more than 100,000 Rohingya and neighboring Bangladeshis have fled by boat in the last three years, the biggest exodus of boat people in the region since the Vietnam War..."
Creator/author: Esther Htusan
Source/publisher: Associated Press (AP)
2015-05-18
Date of entry/update: 2015-05-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Beaten, imprisoned and sold into slavery - Channel 4 News reveals the fate of Burma?s Muslim Rohingya refugees, who flee conflict only to end up in the clutches of brutal human traffickers..." On Tarutao Island which is a Thai national park.
Creator/author: John Sparks
Source/publisher: Channel 4 News
2013-08-08
Date of entry/update: 2013-08-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: "The Burmese government?s renewed war against the Kachin has exponentially increased the risk of human trafficking along the China-Burma border. New documentation by KWAT indicates that large-scale displacement, lack of refugee protection and shortages of humanitarian aid have become significant new push factors fuelling the trafficking problem. Burma Army offensives against the Kachin Independence Army since June 2011 and widespread human rights abuses have driven over 100,000 villagers from their homes, mainly in eastern Kachin State. The majority of these refugees have fled to crowded IDP camps along the China border, which receive virtually no international aid. Desperate to earn an income, but with little or no legal option to pursue migrant work in China, many cross the border illegally. Their lack of legal status renders them extremely vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers, who use well-trodden routes to transport and sell people into bonded labor or forced marriage as far as eastern provinces of China. Although ongoing attacks and massive social upheaval since the start of the conflict have hampered systematic data collection, KWAT has documented 24 trafficking cases from Kachin border areas since June 2011, mostly involving young women and girls displaced by the war, who have been tricked, drugged, raped, and sold to Chinese men or families as brides or bonded laborers. The sale of women and children is a lucrative source of income for traffickers, who can make as much as 40,000 Yuan (approximately $6,500 USD) per person. While some manage to escape, and may be assisted by Chinese authorities in returning home, others disappear without a trace. Kachin authorities and community-based groups have played a key role in providing help with trafficking cases, and assisting women to be reunited with their families. No trafficked women or their families sought help from Burmese authorities. The Burmese government lists an anti-trafficking border liaison office at Loije on the Kachin-China border, but it is unknown to the community and thought to be non-functional. Far from seeking to provide protection to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and mitigate trafficking risks, the Burmese government has continued to fuel the war, block humanitarian aid to IDPs in Kachin controlled areas, and even attack and destroy IDP camps, driving refugees into China. It has also closed some of the immigration offices on the Kachin-China border which could provide border passes for refugees to legally seek work in China. It is thus ironic that in 2012, Burma was recognized in the U.S. State Department?s Annual Trafficking in Persons Report as increasing its efforts in combating human trafficking, resulting in a rise from its bottomlevel ranking for the first time in the history of the report, and a corresponding increase in financial support to Burma?s quasi-civilian government. It is urgently needed to address the structural problems that have led to mass migration and trafficking in the past and also spurred the recent conflict. The Burmese military?s gross mismanagement of resource revenues from Kachin State over the past few decades, and ongoing land confiscation, forced relocation, and human rights abuses, have pushed countless Kachin civilians across the Chinese border in search of peace and the fulfillment of basic needs. These problems led to the breakdown of the 17-year ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the military-dominated government in 2011. Refusing to engage in dialogue to address Kachin demands for equality and equitable development, the government launched attacks to seize total control over the wealth of resources in Kachin State. Resolving the current conflict via genuine political dialogue would not only be a step towards peace, but also a concrete move towards curbing human trafficking from Kachin areas. Launching a range of reforms dealing with the political and economic factors driving people beyond Burma?s borders is critical to addressing trafficking. Therefore, KWAT recommends the following:..."
Source/publisher: Kachin Women?s Association Thailand (KWAT)
2013-06-05
Date of entry/update: 2013-06-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 1.05 MB 40.33 KB
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Description: "Thailand is well-known for its pristine beaches and spicy food. But this is not what attracts low skilled migrants from neighboring countries into the country. Prospects of work and security, higher wages than they can earn at home and an opportunity to explore new places and people instead pull migrants from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and even China into Thailand. Thailand?s rapid economic growth has created wealth and opportunities. Development has resulted in increased demand for labour, or to be more precise, cheap low skilled foreign labour to do dirty, dangerous and difficult work that Thais often will not themselves do. To sustain a growing economy and in order to compete in international markets for low cost export of goods, Thailand continues to be dependent on a cheap migrant workforce of more than 2 million people. However for more than two decades since the early 1990s, policy makers in Thailand have not, at least until more recently, been willing or able to effectively regularise migration flows into the country. As a result, and left without legal and official means to enter Thailand, migrant workers, employers and industries employing migrants turn to smugglers to get workers into the country to fill significant gaps in the labour market. These smugglers, usually referred to as ?brokers,? may be complete strangers to the migrant workers themselves. But sometimes they are closely linked to friends and relatives. Links with officials on both sides of Thailand?s borders is an undeniable reality. The push factors in migrant home countries that bring them to Thailand include poverty, a lack of opportunities for work and earning money and repressive political environments - sometimes even physical repression from their own governments. When migrants hear stories from friends and relatives about well-paid jobs in Thailand, their decision to migrate is inevitable. Yet without legal documents, knowledge about Thailand?s employment system and an inability to read and speak the Thai language, migrants rely on brokers not only to smuggle them into the country but also, unless they already have strong networks in Thailand, to find them work, accommodation and a new life. For too many, this position of vulnerability means that before they even realise it, migrants have been sold into a situation where they are working long hours without rest or pay on a fishing boat, their freedom of movement is restricted on a Snap Shot Stories from Invisible Victims of Trafficking in Thailand
Creator/author: Andy Hall (editor)
Source/publisher: Mahidol Migration Center (MMC)
2011-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2012-01-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Thai
Format : pdf
Size: 1.02 MB
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Description: "Thailand is well-known for its pristine beaches and spicy food. But this is not what attracts low skilled migrants from neighboring countries into the country. Prospects of work and security, higher wages than they can earn at home and an opportunity to explore new places and people instead pull migrants from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and even China into Thailand. Thailand?s rapid economic growth has created wealth and opportunities. Development has resulted in increased demand for labour, or to be more precise, cheap low skilled foreign labour to do dirty, dangerous and difficult work that Thais often will not themselves do. To sustain a growing economy and in order to compete in international markets for low cost export of goods, Thailand continues to be dependent on a cheap migrant workforce of more than 2 million people. However for more than two decades since the early 1990s, policy makers in Thailand have not, at least until more recently, been willing or able to effectively regularise migration flows into the country. As a result, and left without legal and official means to enter Thailand, migrant workers, employers and industries employing migrants turn to smugglers to get workers into the country to fill significant gaps in the labour market. These smugglers, usually referred to as ?brokers,? may be complete strangers to the migrant workers themselves. But sometimes they are closely linked to friends and relatives. Links with officials on both sides of Thailand?s borders is an undeniable reality. The push factors in migrant home countries that bring them to Thailand include poverty, a lack of opportunities for work and earning money and repressive political environments - sometimes even physical repression from their own governments. When migrants hear stories from friends and relatives about well-paid jobs in Thailand, their decision to migrate is inevitable. Yet without legal documents, knowledge about Thailand?s employment system and an inability to read and speak the Thai language, migrants rely on brokers not only to smuggle them into the country but also, unless they already have strong networks in Thailand, to find them work, accommodation and a new life. For too many, this position of vulnerability means that before they even realise it, migrants have been sold into a situation where they are working long hours without rest or pay on a fishing boat, their freedom of movement is restricted on a Snap Shot Stories from Invisible Victims of Trafficking in Thailand 7 construction site, they have been turned into a virtual slave or, in the most extreme cases, forced to provide sexual services against their will. Migrant workers who find themselves in such situations of exploitation often report fear in approaching the police or other Thai government officials for assistance as they are undocumented and fear they will be arrested, extorted, abused or deported. All of these outcomes lessen a migrant?s opportunity to earn money for their families back home, burden them with more debt or even, in some cases, increase their risk of human rights abuses further. For others, seeking assistance from the police sees them sent back to their employers where severe punishment or even death awaits them. Workers who are victims of exploitation report that police appear as a key enemy and perceive many officials as deeply involved in systems of exploitation of which they have become victims..."
Creator/author: Andy Hall (editor)
Source/publisher: Mahidol Migration Center (MMC)
2011-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2011-10-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 860.74 KB
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Description: "The US Department of State issued 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report on 27 June 2011. The report placed Myanmar in Tier 3 as a country thai does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so by using the standards of US?s Trafficked Victim Protection Act 2000 (TVPA). The tier placement is made without recognizing the efforts and progress made in combating human trafficking. Myanmar has been placed in Tier 3 for 11 years, continuously...the Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs strongly rejects the allegations and statements mentioned in 2011 US Trafficking in Persons Report that do not reflect and recognize the significant efforts made in elimination of trafficking..."
Source/publisher: Myanmar Union Government
2011-08-04
Date of entry/update: 2011-08-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 110.3 KB
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Description: "Burma is a source country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and for women and children subjected to sex trafficking in other countries. Burmese children are forced to labor as hawkers and beggars in Thailand. Many Burmese men, women, and children who migrate for work in Thailand, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, India, and South Korea are subjected to conditions of forced labor or sex trafficking in these countries. Poor economic conditions within Burma have led to increased legal and illegal migration of Burmese men, women, and children throughout East Asia and to destinations as far as the Middle East, where they are subject to forced labor and sex trafficking. For example, men are subjected to forced labor in the fishing and construction industries abroad. Some Bangladeshi trafficking victims transit Burma en route to Malaysia, while Chinese victims transit Burma en route to Thailand. The government has yet to address the systemic political and economic factors that cause many Burmese to seek employment through both legal and illegal means in neighboring countries, where some become victims of trafficking...".....Along with Cuba, North Korea and Sudan, Burma has remained in Tier 3 since 2004.
Source/publisher: US Department of State
2011-06-27
Date of entry/update: 2011-08-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 324.75 KB
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Description: Executive Summary: "The Palaung Women?s Organization (PWO) has documented 72 cases of actual or suspected trafficking involving 110 people, which took place along the China-Burma border, mostly during the past six years. The majority of those trafficked were young Palaung women from tea farming communities in Namkham, Namhsan and Mantong townships. PWO surveys in villages from which women have been trafficked show that up to 41% of the population have migrated to work elsewhere. Large scale migration began after the surrender in 2005 of the Palaung State Liberation Army, which had controlled Palaung areas under a ceasefire agreement since 1991. There has been a surge of Burma Army troops and proxy militia into the area since the surrender, who have imposed increased controls and taxes on agriculture and trading. Together with rising prices of food commodities from Central Burma, and increasing costs of health and education, this has meant that tea farmers can no longer earn a living and young people have to leave home to survive. This has led to an alarming increase in the incidence of trafficking of women, men and children, mainly to China. Most of those trafficked were tricked into travelling to China by being offered well-paid jobs on farms or in factories. In 25% of the cases, women were forced to marry Chinese men, with brokers receiving up to 25,000 Yuan (approx 3,800 USD) for the transaction. 10% were forced into the sex trade. Some ended up being used as live feed for leeches. Known destinations were mainly in Yunnan province, but some ended up as far east as Shandong. A disturbing trend is that eleven of the cases were children under ten, fi ve of whom were under one year old. Most were boys. Some of these children were simply kidnapped from their homes, but others were sold by parents who were alcohol or drug users. As highlighted by PWO in earlier reports, opium cultivation in Palaung areas has skyrocketed in recent years due to the profi ts being made by the Burma Army and its militia from the drug trade. This has led to increasing addiction among Palaung men, who not only sell off all their possessions to buy drugs but also their children. In only eleven cases were the traffi cked persons able to escape, some after years of forced marriage to Chinese men. Family members seeking to trace traffi cked persons sought help in vain from local Burmese authorities and social organizations. In some cases perpetrators were arrested and jailed, but several paid bribes or fines and were then released. The Burmese military regime has passed anti-trafficking legislation since 2005 and set up special anti-trafficking units, including at Muse on the China-Burma border. However, these measures appear to have had little effect, due to failure to address the structural root causes driving human trafficking. The situation looks set to worsen following the November 2010 elections. Burma?s military rulers ensured that their cronies won in the Palaung areas, including well-known druglord Kyaw Myint, who is now an MP for Namkham. Militarization has continued unabated, and new military offensives by the regime against ethnic ceasefi re groups have ignited fighting once again in northern Shan State. Even before the new parliament was convened, a new national budget was approved which continued to prioritize military spending far above education and health. Radical structural political changes are thus urgently needed to address the problem of human trafficking and migration in Burma. PWO therefore makes the following recommendations:..."
Source/publisher: Palaung Women?s Organization
2011-06-14
Date of entry/update: 2011-06-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 2.31 MB 2.47 MB
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Description: "...Human traffickers bring destitute Bangladeshi and Burmese women into Pakistan on the promise of getting them decent jobs, but once here they are sold to third parties, mostly for the purpose of prostitution. These women are escorted all the way through India, some distances on foot, to reach Pakistan..."
Creator/author: Ahmar Mustikhan
Source/publisher: Frontier Post, Peshawar, Pakistan, via World Net Daily
2000-07-06
Date of entry/update: 2011-01-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Trafficking in women stems from society?s failure to recognize the valueof certain forms of labor, leaving women engaged in them open to every imaginable form of exploitation. Trafficked women need more than pity, argues Jackie Pollock: They need room to find their own solutions to the problems facing their respective professions.
Creator/author: Jackie Pollock (Tr. Tetz Hakoda)
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 9. No. 2
2001-02-00
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Japanese
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Description: "The State Department designated Burma as a Tier 3 government in its third annual Trafficking in Persons Report due to the Burmese government?s lack of significant efforts to meet congressionally set standards for combating human trafficking. The report, released June 11, faults Burma?s military rulers for continued extensive use of internal forced labor. "The military is directly involved in forced labor trafficking," the report says. The report acknowledges that the military junta ruling Burma has taken steps to combat trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation, but it describes Burma?s record as "inadequate." "The Government of Burma does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so," the report says. The State Department is required to report to Congress annually whether foreign governments fully meet the minimum standards set for the elimination of trafficking as detailed in the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act of October 2000. Governments that are not making significant efforts to meet the standards are placed on the Tier 3 list.
Source/publisher: U.S. Dept of State
2003-06-12
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: The increase in the rates of trafficking and smuggling from Burma in 2008 is testament to the seriousness of the economic crisis that threatens to destabilize the country. More importantly perhaps, it is also indicative of a country in which corruption is widespread and lawlessness is pervasive. Lawlessness is especially apparent in ethnic rural areas suffering from conflict and in remote mountainous areas. Transnational crime is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar industry; however, Burma?s ?extra-legal economy, both black market and illicit border trade, is reportedly so large that an accurate assessment of the size and structure of the country?s economy is unavailable.” Live animals, commodities, drugs, arms, and people, particularly women and children, were all trafficked or smuggled within and from Burma in 2008. Known trafficking and smuggling destinations included: Thailand, China, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Macau, South Korea, Pakistan, India, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, and Japan.
Source/publisher: Human Rights Docmentation Unit (HRDU)
2009-11-23
Date of entry/update: 2009-12-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 792.6 KB
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Description: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: "This report documents sexual trafficking and human rights abuses committed against Burmese women and children from 19 Townships in Mon State, Karen State, Tenasserim Division, Pegu Division, Rangoon Division and Mandalay Division. From 2004 to July 2009 the (Mon) Woman and Child Rights Project (WCRP)—Southern Burma documentation program compiled 40 separate incidents totaling 71 victims. This number represents only a small percentage of the instances of sexual trafficking from Burma to Thailand and other bordering nations, though the case studies of this report provide an important lens through which to view the present-day situation. Sexual trafficking and related human rights abuses are pervasive and arguably growing problems systematized by a harsh economic reality under the military rule of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Whereas the illegitimate junta has become a signatory of anti-trafficking protocols from the United Nations and founded internal regulatory committees to deal with such issues, the last decade has seen flagrant corruption along the border of Burma and Thailand. Government-organized NGOs dedicated to defending the ‘rights? of its people serve more as roadblocks than as catalysts for social advancement and equitable access to state resources. Facing a broken educational system most likely to betray them, women and girls inside Burma are left with few employable skills and must seek money in any way they can. A reeling marketplace stunted by the government?s economic mismanagement, increased militarization in rural and especially border areas, and the ear-ringing echoes of Cyclone Nargis and price fluctuations from a global economic downturn leave the women of the mainly-agrarian regions of Southern Burma with a glaring ultimatum: migrate or starve. The draw of being able to send money back to their home country in the form of remittances often cannot be tempered even by stories of corrupt traffickers, arrests, or dangerous and abusive living conditions upon arrival. Most of the incidents detailed in this report point to violent sexual abuses that took place during the trafficking process or upon arrival in Thailand, Malaysia, and other destinations. The interview subjects often narrate the types of factory and domestic jobs they were promised to contrast the illegal sex work and other exploitive labor they were forced to perform."
Source/publisher: Women and Child Rights Project (WCRP); Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM)
2009-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2009-08-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.44 MB
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Description: "The underground world of human trafficking on the Malaysian-Thai border is one of corruption and broken dreams... ALOR SETAR, Malaysia — ?Malaysian migration officers sold me to a human trafficking gang located near the Thai-Malaysian border,? said Lwin Ko, one of thousands of victims of human trafficking in Malaysia. Like many other Burmese migrant workers and refugees in Malaysia, he was arrested for illegal entry into the country. After processing in an immigration detention center, he said, immigration officers transferred him directly to a gang of human traffickers, who treated him as a ?hostage,? or slave, to be held for a lucrative ransom. Migrant workers are apprehended and led to an open area by civilian security volunteers to have their documents inspected during an immigration raid in Kuala Lumpur in 2005. (Photo: AFP) If no ransom was forthcoming after a few weeks, Lwin Ko would be passed on like many others to work as a crewman on a fishing boat or, for women, to work as household servants or as prostitutes in brothels..."
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 17, No. 4
2009-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2009-08-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: "In 2007, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee began receiving disturbing reports alleging the trafficking and extortion of Burmese and other migrants in Malaysia and from Malaysia into Thailand, for personal profit by some Malaysian Government officials, among others. Committee staff conducted a year-long review of the trafficking and extortion allegations. The committee has an active interest in the treatment of Burmese migrants in Malaysia. Many of the approximately 40,000 Burmese refugees who have resettled in the United States since 1995, have come via Malaysia. Malaysia does not officially recognize refugees, due in part to concern by the Government that official recognition of refugees would encourage more people to enter Malaysia, primarily for economic reasons. Also, Malaysian officials view migrants as a threat to Malaysia?s national security... Many Burmese migrants travel to Malaysia to register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for resettlement to a third country. Typically they profess fear of persecution by the repressive Burmese military junta. Once in Malaysia, Burmese migrants are often arrested by Malaysian authorities, whether or not they have registered with the UNHCR and have identification papers. Personal belongings confiscated at the time of arrest are usually kept by Malaysian officials. Burmese migrants are reportedly taken by Malaysian Government personnel from detention facilities to the Malaysia-Thailand border for deportation. Allegations received by the committee from migrants, spanning years of personal experience, are similar to reports issued by NGOs and human rights activists. Upon arrival at the Malaysia-Thailand border, human traffickers reportedly take possession of the migrants and issue ransom demands on an individual basis. Migrants state that freedom is possible only once money demands are met. Specific payment procedures are outlined, which reportedly include bank accounts in Kuala Lumpur to which money should be transferred. The committee was informed that on some occasions, the ‘‘attendance?? list reviewed by traffickers along the border was identical to the attendance list read prior to departure from the Malaysian detention facilities. Migrants state that those unable to pay are turned over to human peddlers in Thailand, representing a variety of business interests ranging from fishing boats to brothels. The committee has received numerous reports of sexual assaults against Burmese women by human traffickers along the border. One NGO official states that ‘‘Most young women deported to the Thai border are sexually abused, even in front of their husbands, by the syndicates, since no one dares to intervene as they would be shot or stabbed to death in the jungle.??... Statements are continuing to come to the committee from Burmese and other migrants who were taken to the Thailand-Malaysia border and threatened with violence, or being handed over to human traffickers unless extortion demands were met... The allegations of mistreatment by Malaysian Government officials and human trafficking syndicates in southern Thailand are not restricted to Burmese migrants, including refugees. However, the preponderance of complaints received by the committee are from ethnic minority migrants who fled Burma..."
Source/publisher: [US] Senate Committee on Foreign Relations ? 111th Congress
2009-04-03
Date of entry/update: 2009-04-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 113.24 KB
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Description: Across Myanmar people are on the move, both inside the country and across its borders, either pushed by necessity or pulled by the prospect of a brighter future. For many, these hopes are at least partially fulfilled. For some, however, this migration brings them face-to-face with exploitation, abuse, disease and even death.
Creator/author: Nikolas Win Myint
Source/publisher: "Forced Migration Review" No. 30
2008-04-22
Date of entry/update: 2008-11-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese, English
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Description: Summary of key findings: The report documents 133 verified and suspected trafficking cases, involving 163 women and girls, which occurred between 2004 and mid-2007 . As political and economic conditions inside Burma continue to deteriorate, more and more Kachin women are migrating to China in search of work, and are ending up as forced brides of Chinese men. . Most of the forced brides were transported across China to marry men in the eastern provinces, particularly Shandong Province. Women described being shown to many men, sometimes in marketplaces, before being chosen. The husbands, predominantly farmers, paid an average of US$1,900 for their brides. . About a quarter of those trafficked were under 18, with girls as young as 14 forced to be brides. Several cases involved traffickers attempting to buy babies. . The continuing high incidence of trafficking indicates that the regime?s new anti-trafficking law, passed in September 2005, is failing to have any impact in curbing the problem. Provisions in the regime?s new law to protect the rights of trafficking victims are not being adhered to. Women are also being falsely accused of trafficking under the new law. . Women report that Chinese police have been helpful in assisting them to return to Burma, but have sometimes demanded compensation from Burma border officials for repatriating trafficking victims...... Growing numbers of Kachin women trafficked as brides across China Forced by deteriorating political and economic conditions in Burma to migrate to China, ethnic Kachin women are increasingly ending up as forced brides, according to a new report by an indigenous women ?s group. ?Eastward Bound ? by the Kachin Women ?s Association Thailand (KWAT), documents the trafficking of 163 women and girls between 2004 and mid-2007, almost all to China. While 40% of the women have simply disappeared, most of the rest were forced to marry men in provinces across eastern China. About a quarter of those trafficked were under 18. Most of these girls, as young as 14, were sold as brides for an average of about USD 2,000, usually to farmers. The report highlights how the Burmese regime ?s new anti-trafficking law, passed in September 2005, is failing not only to curb trafficking, but also to protect the rights of trafficked women. Victims have been refused assistance by the Burmese Embassy in Beijing, denied entry back to Burma, and falsely accused of trafficking themselves. One woman accused of trafficking was raped in detention by a local official. ?Anti-trafficking laws are meaningless under a regime that systematically violates people ?s rights, and whose policies are driving citizens to migrate, ? said Gum Khong, a researcher for the report. While international agencies have raised the alert about increased trafficking in Burma following Cyclone Nargis, KWAT cautions against indirectly endorsing the regime ?s heavy-handed attempts to control migration. ?International agencies must look holistically at the trafficking problem, and not be complicit in any efforts by the regime to further abuse people ?s rights under the guise of preventing trafficking ? said KWAT spokesperson Shirley Seng. KWAT first exposed the trafficking of Kachin women on the China-Burma border in their 2005 report ?Driven Away. ? The new report can be viewed at http://www.womenofburma.org For hard copies of the report, please contact: [email protected] For further information contact: Gum Khong +66 84 616 5245 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +66 84 616 5245 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Shirley Seng +66 84 485 7252
Source/publisher: Kachin Women?s Association, Thailand (KWAT)
2008-08-05
Date of entry/update: 2008-08-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.74 MB
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Description: The plight of Rohingya women from Burma trafficked in Pakistan ?We have come all the way here, not just because we were trying to escape poverty and find a way to earn a better living like the Bangladeshis, but because it was our only option to save our lives.”(Interview with a Rohingya woman in Karachi on 22.11.99)...Rohingya women from Burma are trapped. In Burma they are deprived of citizenship, and face wide-scale atrocities committed by the military regime. In Bangladesh they are unwanted refugees, threatened with repatriation or deportation, and unable to meet their most basic needs. For many, the only option left to them in order to survive is being trafficked to Pakistan to face an uncertain future that often holds further abuses. During the journey across the subcontinent they can be caught in the web of ruthless traffickers. At every stage of the trip they are vulnerable to sexual violence, physical abuse, as well as other forms of exploitation, whether in the hands of the trafficker, the police, border guards, or while in detention. In Pakistan, some have been sold into slavery and prostitution, while many more survive as illegal immigrants in extreme poverty in the squalor of the Karachi slums. Others have spent many years in jail, detained under the Pakistan Foreigners Act or under the Zina section of the Hudood Ordinance. Wherever they are, Rohingya women are denied protection as well as assistance, and suffer the worst human rights abuses..."
Source/publisher: Images Asia
1999-11-00
Date of entry/update: 2005-06-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : htm
Size: 297.92 KB
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Description: "...This report, "Migrating With Hope: Burmese Women Working In Thailand and The Sex Industry" attempts to present and highlight the needs, interests, and realities of undocumented migrant women from Burma working as sex-workers in Thailand. We look at the lives of women in Burma, the migration processes, processes of entry into the sex-industry, and factors which govern women's wellbeing or suffering during the time of migration in Thailand. The authors hope that the documentation presented will provide useful information to prospective migrants from Burma. We also hope that it can be used to instigate programmes to protect the rights of and to provide the necessary services for undocumented migrant workers, and by doing this, prevent more Burmese women from being exploited. This report is written in the knowledge that women can become empowered to make informed choices about their lives. It is also hoped that this report will provide the general public with information not only about Burmese migrant women, but also about the situation of undocumented migrant workers who flee from Burma, a country ruled by a military regime..."
Source/publisher: Images Asia
1997-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2005-05-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 284.25 KB
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Description: "An alarming trend is developing in ethnic Kachin communities of Burma. Growing poverty, caused by failed state policies, is driving increasing numbers of young people to migrate in search of work. As a result, young women and girls are disappearing without trace, being sold as wives in China, and tricked into the Chinese and Burmese sex industries. Local Kachin researchers conducted interviews in Burma from May-August 2004 in order to document this trend. "Driven Away: Trafficking of Kachin women on the China-Burma border", produced by the Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT), is based on 63 verified and suspected trafficking cases that occurred primarily during 2000-2004. The cases involve 85 women and girls, mostly between the ages of 14 and 20. Testimony comes primarily from women and girls who escaped after being trafficked, as well as relatives, persons who helped escapees, and others. About two-thirds of the women trafficked were from the townships of Myitkyina and Bhamo in Kachin State. About one third were from villages in northern Shan State. In 36 of the cases, women were specifically offered safe work opportunities and followed recruiters to border towns. Many were seeking part-time work to make enough money for school fees during the annual three-month school holiday. Others simply needed to support their families. Those not offered work were taken while looking for work, tricked, or outright abducted. Women taken to China were most often passed on to traffickers at the border to be transported farther by car, bus and/or train for journeys of up to one week in length. Traffickers used deceit, threats, and drugs to confuse and control women en route..."
Source/publisher: Kachin Women's Association, Thailand (KWAT)
2005-05-15
Date of entry/update: 2005-05-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.18 MB
Local URL:
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Description: I. Executive Summary; II. Introduction; III. Thailand: Background. IV. Burma: Background. V. Project Methodology; VI. Findings: Hill Tribe Women and Girls in Thailand; Burmese Migrant Women and Girls in Thailand; VII. Law and Policy ?€? Thailand; VIII. Applicable International Human Rights Law; IX. Law and Policy ?€? United States X. Conclusion and Expanded Recommendations..."This study was designed to provide critical insight and remedial recommendations on the manner in which human rights violations committed against Burmese migrant and hill tribe women and girls in Thailand render them vulnerable to trafficking,2 unsafe migration, exploitative labor, and sexual exploitation and, consequently, through these additional violations, to HIV/AIDS. This report describes the policy failures of the government of Thailand, despite a program widely hailed as a model of HIV prevention for the region. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) findings show that the Thai government?s abdication of responsibility for uncorrupted and nondiscriminatory law enforcement and human rights protection has permitted ongoing violations of human rights, including those by authorities themselves, which have caused great harm to Burmese and hill tribe women and girls..."
Creator/author: Karen Leiter, Ingrid Tamm, Chris Beyrer, Moh Wit, Vincent Iacopino, . Holly Burkhalter, Chen Reis.
Source/publisher: Physicians for Human Rights
2004-07-14
Date of entry/update: 2004-07-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Executive Summary" Chapter I: Introduction 5 1.1 Definitions 5 1.1.1 The Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour 5 1.1.2 Trafficking 6 1.1.3 Target Groups 6 1.2 Background 6 1.3 Structure of this Report 7 Chapter II: Background Information from the Literature ? Child Labour in Thailand 9 2.1 Decreasing Numbers of Ethnic Thai Child Workers 9 2.2 Minors From Lao PDR Working in Thailand 9 2.3 Minors from Myanmar Working in Thailand 10 2.4 Sectors of Child Labour 10 2.5 Foreign and Ethnic Minority Child Workers 11 Chapter III: Methodology 13 3.1 Rapid Assessment 13 3.2 Child Respondents 13 3.3 Gender, Ethnicity and Legal Status 14 3.4 Key and Other Informants 15 3.5 Research Approaches 15 3.6 This Research and its Limitations 16 3.6.1 Strength of the Methodology 16 3.6.2 To What Extent Can We Draw General Conclusions from this Study? 16 3.6.3 Where does this Study Shows Specific and Not General Results 16 3.6.4 Recruitment and Transportation Systems 17 3.6.5 Source Communities 17 3.6.6 Change Over Time 17 3.7 Possibilities for Future Research 17 Chapter IV: Origins of Trafficking and Risk Groups 19 4.1 Why Do Minors Leave Their Village to Work in Thailand? 19 4.1.1 Financial Motivation 19 4.1.2 Lack of Purchasing Power 19 4.1.3 Lack of Job Opportunities and Educational Attainments 20 4.1.4 Parents? Role in the Decision to Leave 20 4.1.5 Trafficking and Household Decisions 21 4.1.6 Following Others, Seeing the World and Experiencing Life 23 4.1.7 Personal Problems and Difficulties in the Community 24 4.1.8 Oppressed Communities 25 4.2 Risk Groups 25 4.2.1 Hill Tribes From Thailand 25 4.2.2 Refugees and Displaced Persons 26 4.2.3 Stateless Persons 26 4.2.4 Laotians 26 4.2.5 Minors From Myanmar 27 Chapter V: Transportation into Thailand 29 5.1 Information About Work 29 5.2 Initiative and Decision to Seek Work 29 5.3 Organizers of Transportation into Thailand 30 5.4 Means of Transport 31 5.5 Entry into Thailand 31 5.6 The Special Border Zones 32 5.7 Immigration Policies and the Movement of Minors 32 Chapter VI: Recruitment into the Worst Forms of Child Labour 37 6.1.1 Immediate Entry into the Worst Forms of Child Labour 37 6.1.2 Delayed Entry into the Worst Forms of Child Labour 37 6.1.3 Information Obtained in Thailand About Work 38 6.1.4 Getting into Work 38 6.2 Profit Made From the Recruitment Process 38 6.3 Awareness and Deception 40 6.4 Networking and the Danger of Trafficking 41 6.5 Ethnic Minorities and Burmans 43 6.6 Gender 44 Chapter VII: Conditions of Child Labour 47 7.1 Industries 47 7.2 Extent of Child Labour at the Border Sites 48 7.2.1 Factories Employing Minors in Mae Sai 48 7.2.2 The Sex Industry 50 7.2.2.1 Muk Dahan 50 7.2.2.2 Mae Sot 51 7.2.2.3 Nong Khai Province 52 7.2.2.4 Mae Sai 53 7.3 The Worst Forms of Child Labour 54 7.3.1 Slavery and Practices Similar to Slavery 54 7.3.2 Prostitution and Pornography 54 7.3.3 Illicit Activities 54 7.3.4 Work Endangering the Health, Safety or Morals of Children 55 7.3.4.1 Physical, Psychological Abuse 55 7.3.4.2 Work Underground, Under Water, at Dangerous Heights and in Confined Space 55 7.3.4.3 Work With Dangerous Machinery, Equipment and Tools 56 7.3.4.4 Manual Handling or Transport of Heavy Loads 56 7.3.4.5 Unhealthy Environment, Hazardous Substances 56 7.3.4.6 Work in Difficult Circumstances, Including Long Hours and During the Night 56 7.4 Payment 57 7.5 Assessment of the Worst Forms of Child Labour from the Minors? Perspective 57 Chapter VIII: Prospects after Trafficking into the Worst Forms of Child Labour 59 8.1 Continuation in Exploitative Industries 59 8.2 Ways of Leaving Employment 59 8.3 Aspirations for the Future 60 8.4 Young Adults who Consider Themselves Successful 60 Chapter IX: Conclusion 63 Annexes 67 Annex I: Findings at a Glance 67 Annex II: Questionnaire 75 Bibliography 81.
Creator/author: Christina Wille
Source/publisher: ILO (IPEC)
2001-11-00
Date of entry/update: 2004-05-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Interview by Samuel Grumiau, ICFTU Online..., 214/991116/SG, 18 November 1999 "Every year, thousands of Burmese women fall into the hands of mafias who force them into prostitution in Thailand. How is this traffic organised? Hseng Noung Lintner, an activist in the "Shan Women Action Network", an NGO that assists women from the Shan ethnic group, explains..."
Creator/author: Samuel Grumiau
Source/publisher: ICFTU
1999-11-19
Date of entry/update: 2003-07-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Trafficking in women stems from society?s failure to recognize the valueof certain forms of labor, leaving women engaged in them open to every imaginable form of exploitation. Trafficked women need more than pity, argues Jackie Pollock: They need room to find their own solutions to the problems facing their respective professions.
Creator/author: Jackie Pollock
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy, Vol. 9. No. 2
2001-02-00
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: OVERVIEW; RESTRICTION ON WOMEN'S FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT; REGIONAL MIGRATION; TRAFFICKING; SEX WORK; DEPORTATION; ACTIONS TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING; FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS.
Creator/author: Brenda Belak
Source/publisher: Images Asia
2002-01-00
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 566.69 KB
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Description: A substantial and important report. ""Lin Lin" was thirteen years old when she was recruited by an agent for work in Thailand. Her father took $480 from the agent with the understanding that his daughter would pay the loan back out of her earnings. The agent took "Lin Lin" to Bangkok, and three days later she was taken to the Ran Dee Prom brothel. "Lin Lin" did not know what was going on until a man came into her room and started touching her breasts and body and then forced her to have sex. For the next two years, "Lin Lin" worked in various parts of Thailand in four different brothels, all but one owned by the same family. The owners told her she would have to keep prostituting herself until she paid off her father's debt. Her clients, who often included police, paid the owner $4 each time. If she refused a client's demands, she was slapped and threatened by the owner. She worked every day except for the two days off each month she was allowed for her menstrual period. Once she had to borrow money to pay for medicine to treat a painful vaginal infection. This amount was added to her debt. On January 18, 1993 the Crime Suppression Division of the Thai police raided the brothel in which "Lin Lin" worked, and she was taken to a shelter run by a local non-governmental organization. She was fifteen years old, had spent over two years of her young life in compulsory prostitution, and tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV. "Lin Lin" is just one of thousands of Burmese women and girls who have been trafficked and sold into what amounts to female sexual slavery in Thailand. In the last two years, Thai NGOs estimate that at a minimum, some twenty thousand Burmese women and girls are suffering Lee's fate, or worse, and that ten thousand new recruits come in every year. They are moved from one brothel to another as the demand for new faces dictates, and often end up being sent back to Burma after a year or two to recruit their own successors..."
Source/publisher: Asia Watch and the Women's Rights Project (Human Rights Watch)
1993-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: 2 minute 37 second extract from a film by Ellen Bruno. "Screened at Sundance, the film examines the social, cultural and economic forces at work in the trafficking of Burmese girls into prostitution in Thailand. The site also has linked resources - organisations, films, publications, calls to action etc.
Creator/author: Ellen Bruno
Source/publisher: .brunofilms
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Thai
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Description: The flesh trade is flourishing along the Thai-Burma border, where the wages of cheap sex are adding to the toll taken by decades of poverty and military conflict. Tachilek, a border town in the Burmese sector of the Golden Triangle, has a reputation for many things, few of them good. Most recently in the media spotlight as the center of a pitched battle between Thai, Burmese and ethnic insurgent forces that has claimed lives on both sides of the border, Tachilek is best known as a major conduit for opium and methamphetamines flowing out of Burma. It also has a Thai-owned casino and a thriving black market in everything from pirated VCDs to tiger skins and Burmese antiques. But stroll across the Friendship Bridge from Mae Sai, Thailand, and would-be guides will waste no time making sure you don?t miss the main attraction. "Phuying, phuying," they whisper in Thai, clutching photos of Tachilek?s very own Shwedagon pagoda and other local sights. "Phuying, suay maak," they repeat: "Girls, very beautiful."
Creator/author: Neil Lawrence
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 9. No. 2
2001-02-00
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Are young Burmese girls working in the brothels of Thailand victims or players in the lucrative sex trade? Perhaps a look at two typical cases can shed light on this question..."
Creator/author: Aung Zaw in Mae Sai, Chiang Mai & Min Zin in Ranong
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 9. No. 2
2001-02-00
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
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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