UN Commission on Human Rights

59^th Session

Agenda Item 13, Rights of the Child

Oral Intervention made by Dr. Thaung Htun

Worldview International Foundation

April 11, 2003.

Mr. Chairman

While the whole world is paying attention on War against Iraq, the plight of children from Burma caught in the crossfire of five decades long armed conflict resulted from the oppression and discriminatory practices of Burmese military, seems to be a forgotten issue. The civil war brought widespread poverty, poor health care, low educational standards and systematic human rights abuses and these are the children who suffer most.

According to UNICEF, out of 1.3 million children born every year, more than 92,500 will die before they reach their first birthday and another 138,000 children will die before the age of five. The main causes of death are malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS, acute respiratory infections, and diarrheal diseases. More than 1 in 3 children under 5 will be malnourished.

The government spends 40% of the national budget on the military, while spending on healthcare and education is one of the lowest in the world at under 1% (US$0.60 and US$0.28 per capita respectively). The World Health Organization’s 2000 report graded Burma 190^th overall in health system of 191 countries surveyed.

Children from ethnic groups in conflict area have extremely limited access to health care and immunization as UN agencies do not have access to these areas. Military violence coupled with displacement, forced relocations and resulting food insecurity are the main causes of malnutrition and other related illnesses. These children are also most at risk of serious human rights violations including sexual assault and trafficking. Thailand is the primary destination of trafficking from Burma with an estimated 40,000 Burmese women and children, most of them from ethnic groups, working as sex workers.

Low educational attainment is another serious matter of our concern. Only three out of four children enter primary school and of those only two out of five complete the full five years. The ongoing armed conflict has resulted in: the lack of an educational infrastructure; teachers; physical dangers due to lack of security; transience due to forced relocation.

Child labor has become increasingly prevalent and visible. Approximately one quarter of children in the age group 10-14 are engaged in paid work and there is a growing number of street children in concentrated urban areas. Street children and orphans are particularly vulnerable to forced recruitment into the armed forces. Burma is believed to be one of the world’s single largest users of child soldiers with up to 50,000 children serving in both government armed forces and armed opposition groups.

Burmese law does not specifically prohibit child labor and children are forced to labor on infrastructure development projects and income generating projects for the military, especially in ethnic areas. Children are also forced to serve as porters in combat areas, and frequently suffer beatings, rape and other mistreatment. Porters are used as human minesweepers and human shields during military operations and children are no exception. The number of landmine casualties, although unknown, is now believed to surpass even that of Cambodia. There is more chance of fatality if a child steps on a mine.

In order to alleviate the suffering of the children of Burma, the current session of UN Commission on Human Rights should:

Strongly urge the SPDC to:

(a) accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and observe the requirements of Burmese law, which stipulates the recruitment age into the armed forces as 18.

(b) to ratify/accede to the International Labor Organization Convention No. 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor.

(c) immediately end the recruitment and use of child soldiers and ensure the demobilization of child soldiers, their return home and their rehabilitation in accordance with Security Council resolution 1314 (2002).

(d) ensure access to UN agencies and international NGOs to conflict areas in order to provide assistance and protection to internally displaced children

Call on All parties to the conflict to:

(a) put children on the agenda for dialogue since children are most affected by this protracted armed conflict.

(b) provide peace corridors during national child immunization weeks. This could pave the way to a nationwide ceasefire to expand the provision of humanitarian assistance to children affected by the armed conflict.

Call on UN agencies to coordinate their programs to try and protect orphans and street children from forced recruitment and use them as soldiers. As most child soldier deserters shelter on the Thai-Burma border, UN agencies should assist these deserters by providing adequate resources for their rehabilitation.

Thank you.