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PACT and Asia ACTs Supports Democratic Protests & Deplores Child Trafficking Increase in Burma

 

Asia Against Child Trafficking (Asia ACTs), the regional alliance in Southeast Asia committed to combat child trafficking in the region, urges the UN Security Council, the ASEAN, international agencies and people’s organizations worldwide to take stronger action on the Burmese military government for brutally suppressing peaceful democratic protests in Burma. These protests came in response to the government’s decision to dramatically increase fuel prices, which dealt a heavy blow to the already impoverished population.

Asia ACTs and its campaign partner, the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB), hail the heroic and peaceful protests by freedom-loving activists spearheaded by the country’s revered monks. For the first time in almost 20 years, the military government and Burma’s despotic generals are being confronted by hundreds of thousands of peaceful activists who have taken to the streets of Burma’s biggest cities, Rangoon and Mandalay, as well as smaller cities across the country. As many as 300,000 people have joined in the peaceful demonstrations to express their dissatisfaction and call for change.

To quell civil unrest, the military carried out a violent crackdown in September resulting in the deaths of at least 9 people, including a Japanese journalist. Both monks and civilian protestors have received harsh beatings at the hands of armed police and soldiers. Hundreds have been arrested as the military continues to hunt and raid homes and monasteries nationwide.

The escalation of military operations all over the country and the continuing economic hardships of the people are expected to increase the incidence of unsafe migration, human smuggling and trafficking that victimize children and women. Child trafficking is among the grave human rights violations happening in Burma.

Even before the recent civil unrest and democratic protests, human trafficking was already a big problem. The military junta’s gross economic mismanagement, human rights abuses and its policy of using forced labor are the major reasons for Burma’s human trafficking problem. Burmese women and children are trafficked to Thailand, China, Bangladesh, Malaysia, South Korea and Macau for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, begging activities and forced labor (The US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report for 2007).

Asia ACTs deplore the involvement of the Burmese military and civilian authorities in trafficking for forced labor and unlawful recruitment of child soldiers. In 2006, the government admitted the use of forced labor but did not take actions to stop it (US State Department, 2007). Meanwhile, Burmese military recruiters target children in order to meet an unrelenting demand for new recruits. This demand is fueled by continued army expansion, high desertion rates and a lack of willing volunteers (Human Rights Watch report, October 2007).

HREIB and Asia ACTs urge the UN Security Council to take a concrete action on Burma by imposing measures that include an embargo on the sale of arms to Burma, the cessation of military aid, the imposition of travel restrictions on SPDC leaders, and new restrictions on the flow of financial resources to the SPDC, particularly from the oil and gas industry.

Burma is currently receiving an unprecedented amount of press. However, such tremendous attention must do more than engender global condemnation. It must provoke action.

Asia Acts urges its network partners to join and sustain through solidarity actions the ongoing courage and relentless defiance of the people of Burma.

Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB)

P.O.Box 485, GPO, Chiang Mai, 50000, Thailand

+66 (0) 81-9925293

and

Asia ACTs

 

Room 312, Commonwealth Ave., Quezon City, Philippines

Telephone: 632-9290822

Fax: 632-9290822

E-mail: asiaacts@pldtdsl..net

Website: www.stopchildtrafficking.info

Exploitative Purposes

Exploiation is the core element of trafficking. Children are trafficked for various exploitative purposes such as:

- sexual exploitation/prostitution

- forced labour

- illegal adoption

- begging

- forced marriages

- drug trafficking

- removal & sale of organs

- slavery

- servitude

Trafficking is a continuing crime; therefore, close coordination between and among local groups /agencies is very important.

December 12 Call for Concept Papers

PACT is now accepting Concept Papers from members to participate in the upcoming December 12 International Day Against Child Trafficking.

Interested parties may contact the office through:

TELEFAX: 929.0347 

ADDRESS: Rm. 316, PSSC Bldg., Commonwealth Ave., Diliman, QC

Push and Pull Factors of Trafficking

The following are some of the primary factors that cause the environment of trafficking to flourish in the Philippines:

- Poverty

- Globalization

- Modernization & Development Schemes

- Out-migration networks

- Corruption & Collaboration

- Breakdown of Families

- Lack of Education & Information

- Aftermath of War

- Culture

The interplay of these factors, with increasing poverty as the major catalyst, results in conditions favorable to trafficking of children within the country and across borders.

PACT History

Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT) is a network of advocates for child protection against trafficking from non-government organizations, the government and academe, among others. It was formed in 2002 as part of the Regional Campaign Against Child Trafficking, also known as Asia ACTs against Child Trafficking, with ECPAT Philippines as Focal Point.

The Philippine Campaign first launched its weeklong campaign against child trafficking in 2003. Since then, PACT has been actively conducting regionwide consultations, national conferences, public media events, development of IEC materials, action research, People’s Caravan (parades, motorcades, programs and concerts, television and radio guestings) local mobilization activities, and theater training for young people, participated actively by various sectors.

The enactment of RA 9208 or the “Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003” gives credence to the intensification of the campaign.

As a preventive measure, PACT is now raising the awareness of the public, especially the grassroots, on this law and works with other various stakeholders for its effective implementation.