Hello everyone,
I am almost finished with my paper, "Sold to Army for $15 US, a Sack of Rice, and a Vat of Cooking Oil: Childhood in Burma" for CarmeliteNGO. I finally finished the summary and they have decided to make it the main article in their next publication. They will include a link to their website where they will publish the full paper. I hope that my paper can help raise awareness that there are over 70,000 child soldiers in Burma.
Here is a story about one these children:
At the age of 14, Maung Zaw Oo was forcibly recruited into Burma’s national army. He was separated from his family and sold to the army by a military recruiter for 20,000 kyat ($15 US), a sack of rice and a vat of cooking oil. Although managing to escape once, Maung Zaw Oo was once again enlisted by the age of 15. When his family learned of his conscription and tried to secure his release, the captain of the battalion offered his release in exchange for five new recruits. Maung Zaw Oo refused and bravely told his family, “I don’t want five others to face this, it’s very bad here. I’ll just stay and face it myself.” Robbed of his childhood, Maung Zaw Oo’s lost all hope by the age of 16. Maung Zaw Oo began to volunteer for the most dangerous combat positions, later explaining, “In the army, my life was worthless, so I chose it that way.”
Unfortunately, thousands of other children have stories similar to Maung Zaw Oo's. Children as young as 9 are routinely deprived of their human dignity and reduced to the status of a commodity; bought and sold by military recruiters for nothing more than a few dollars and some food. As Burma is not involved in any outside conflict, these children are forced to fight against their own people. The country's internal ethnic war is known as the longest continuous civil war in modern history. The child soldiers along its front lines are exposed to unimaginable war crimes and forced to perform terrible acts against civilians, including murder and rape.
The national army, the Tatmadaw, denies that these children even exist and no programs are in place to help rehabilitate those few child soldiers who are able to escape.
On March 30th, a civilian government - the Union for the Solidarity and Development Council (USDC) - officially replaced the State Peace and Development Council, the military regime that has ruled since the army took control in 1988. Unfortunately, it is really just a change in name only and it is doubtful that any real improvements will be made to the lives of millions of Burmese - it is estimated that 90% of the country lives on less than $1 a day. It is this extreme poverty coupled with a culture of militarization and impunity that has led to the systemic deterioration of human rights and child recruitment.
Unfortunately, very few people in the world know about the situation in Burma. Very few, if any, NGOs or international organizations are allowed into the country, so there are no programs to assist these children. They are continuously at risk of being forcibly recruited.
There are various organizations – such as the US Campaign for Burma and the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers – that are dedicated to bringing an end to the use of child soldiers through public education, leadership development initiatives, and advocacy campaigns. By raising awareness about the issue of child soldiers and the human rights violations committed in Burma, it ensures that the problems cannot be ignored.
Please watch the important documentary film "Burma Soldier" next month on HBO.
Efforts to demobilize children during conflict have been met with only limited success; thus peace remains the main hope for securing their release.
Effective strategies must address the root causes of child soldering in Burma – poverty, inequity, discrimination, and the rampant human rights abuses. The international community may not be able to resolve the current crisis in Burma, but we must at least bear witness in order to ensure that the people of Burma, especially its children, no longer suffer in silence.
There are over 300,000 child soldiers around the world. Here are some other sites for thought:
March 24th Earthquake in Burma:
Also, on March 24th, Burma was struck by a 6.8 earthquake and has since experienced several aftershocks. No one really knows the extent of the damage as international media access is restricted and international aid has been denied. Here are some images that made it through.
The last major natural disaster that hit the country was Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Over 130,000 died and the national government stood by and did nothing.
130,000 people died and how many of you had even heard of Cyclone Nargis before this post? How many heard about the earthquake 3 weeks ago? The government's ability to keep the country's misery hidden from the world is truly heartbreaking.
It's important to remember that without help and support from the international community, New Orleans would not have been able to come back from Hurricane Katrina and be where it is today. We must pay that forward and do what we can to promote social justice world wide, especially in nations like Burma.
The United Nation’s Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in accordance with Catholic social teaching, holds that every child has an inalienable and inviolable right to grow up free from exploitation, oppression, and violence and with access to the resources necessary to develop their full human potential.
My dream is that in some minute way, my work this semester with CarmeliteNGO will help to make these rights a reality for the children of Burma.
☮ ♥ ⚜,
Megan
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