BURMESE CHILDREN; BURMA,MIZORAM AND NEW DELHI

Killing and Maiming
Throughout Burma’s long and protracted civil war children have been and continue to be victims of violent attacks perpetrated by members of the Tatmadaw (military of Burma), they are unlawfully killed during village raids and are casualties of indiscriminate landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). In some cases children were directly targeted, accused of supporting rebel groups. In other cases children were caught in the crossfire during active combat between the Tatmadaw (or allied groups) and opposition forces.

Recruiting or using child soldiers
Children are regularly recruited and used as child soldiers in the Tatmadaw, and to a lesser extent some NSAGs. Although there have been some initiatives to end the use of child soldiers, the SPDC’s efforts lack strong political will and have been largely ineffectual. In fact reports contend that child protection advocates are actually jailed for making complaints about the use of child soldiers. Forced labor, particularly the recruitment and use of child soldiers accounts for over 20% of cases.


Rape or other sexual violence against children
Increased militarization in ethnic minority and rural areas has led to rape and other forms of sexual abuse against children. Documented crimes include: attempted rape, rape, gang rape, and sexual assault. In some cases victims were also killed after suffering grave sexual abuse. In other cases children were forced to witness their mothers and sisters being raped and abused. Although the documented cases focus on incidences involving young girls, sexual violence is a problem that affects boys as well; unfortunately, such incidences are rarely reported and/or documented. Victims are denied their legal right to justice because a culture of impunity continues to be cultivated in Burma. Members of the Tatmadaw and non-state armed groups who perpetrate acts of rape and other forms of sexual violence are rarely prosecuted for these abuses.

Abduction of children
Children continue to be abducted because of the ongoing armed conflict in Burma. They are taken and forced to become child soldiers, porters, hard laborers, and sex slaves, mostly for Tatmadaw soldiers and commanders. They are seized from both markets and transit hubs in urban areas and from community farms and schools in rural areas. Additionally, their parents and/or guardians were deprived of their rights of custody without reason.

Denial of humanitarian access for children
Not only do the SPDC’s laws and policies prevent aid agencies from providing assistance, but military activities and ongoing fighting often delay and/or block medicines and other supplies from reaching intended destinations and beneficiaries. The Secretary General’s November 2007 report concerning children and armed conflict asserts that the SPDC’s armed forces are responsible for denying humanitarian aid agencies’ access to conflict zones. This assertion is consistent with other United Nations’ reports reviewing the situation of children affected by armed conflict in Burma. The SPDC imposes travel restrictions on international organizations’ staff and impedes information gathering and sharing. The regime’s deliberate efforts to veil the conflict from international eyes and is detrimental to the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of civilians living in constant peril, particularly children.


Attacks against schools and hospitals

Beyond the immediate damage caused by destruction, such attacks severely stunt a child’s development. Years of lost schooling and vocational skills will take equivalent years to replace and their absence imposes a greater vulnerability on the ability of societies to recover after war”. There are few functioning hospitals and clinics to provide vaccinations making children dangerously susceptible to the diseases plaguing Burma. Pregnant women are often forced to give birth in unsanitary and hazardous conditions without the assistance of a qualified medical professional, putting both their own lives and the lives of their babies at risk. The number of children maimed by explosive ordnances are subject to further suffering when the risks of infection, excessive bleeding, and pain left untreated are exacerbated due to a lack of acceptable healthcare facilities. Children suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, diarrhea and other easily treatable health conditions are faced with the looming prospect of premature and senseless deaths. Several interviewees described how attacks on their villages destroyed schools and interrupted their learning and access to healthcare.

Burmese children living in India with special focus on education:

In Mizoram:
There is no provision for educational facilities for the children in Mizoram. Their expenses are solely taken care by the parents. All parents want to send their children to school but many could not afford to do so. In Government school, parent still find difficulties since they could not afford to buy the uniforms and books though they do not pay the monthly fees and also they require birth certificate for above 5th standard. Many are not in favour of Government School as Mizo language is used the medium of teaching (becomes a barrier for those children born in Burma) and also because of the low standard of education. For private school, such document is not required but due to the heavy expenses involved in private school. Other problems they face is due to living in remote and rural areas and poor educational background of their parents.

Delhi:
Children constitute about 20 % of the UNHCR recognised refugee population. The difficult financial conditions faced by refugees, have led many of the children to drop out of school. UNHCR’s policy on education is to send the refugee children to Government school, however this has proved impossible as the government schools require certain documents which the refugees could not produce moreover their medium of education is Hindi and they have to pass Hindi as a subject. The UNHCR provides UNHCR recognised children with 2500 rupees per annum for primary level to class IV, and 3100 rupees for class VI to X, distributed through New Delhi YMCA - one of UNHCR’s implementing partners. However, this amount is not enough to cover educational expenses like admission and monthly fees, books, uniforms and transportation, as private schools are expensive. It is estimated that a child needs to spend a minimum of 20,000 rupees a year on education (excluding transportation). This is a matter of deep concern as it creates problems at two levels; firstly, the children are deprived of learning, and secondly, the time spent at school is in a small, crowded room which creates a negative learning environment for the children. It has reported that many students were made to leave the classroom or expelled from the school due to non-payment of school fees. With the SA phase off, the turmoil of the students and parents have increased manifold. Very few of the refugees continue their higher education as regular students. Some marginal numbers are enrolled in distance education programme provided by the Open University system under DU, IGNOU etc. This is necessitated by financial constraints and language barrier that the refugees faced that prevent them from pursuing higher education. Those refugees studying in Universities and Colleges have been enrolled as "foreigners" which means that they have to pay higher fees.



REFERENCES:

Forgotten Future: Children affected by armed conflict in Burma- A HREIB publication
Surviving on the unwelcoming hills- A WRWAB and HREIB publication
ILO Forced Labour Convention report of march 2008
Assessment report on Burmese refugee in Mizoram and Delhi by CHRO (June 2004)
Study on some members( chin) Burmese refugee community of New Delhi: A report by Julie Baujard, an intern at UNHCR (March 2001)
Education: Existing scenario and prospects :A report by Refugee Desk, The Other Media (DRAFT)