| ACR Weekly Newsletter Vol.2, No.6 (05/02/2003) | ||||
| Bhutan: Young Hands Toil Towards Development |
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| Bhutan Young Hands toil towards development
Bangladesh Pakistan Burma
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Child Labour is a
rampant reality in Asia. Bhutan, a land-locked monarchy, is estimated to
have 55 percent of it's children between the age group of 10-14 involved
in some form of labour.
Sitting among rocks covered with dusts are little children cutting large stones into small chips for a road that is being constructed. Children working at this construction site just outside the town Buna range from 5 years to 17 years in age. These children, however, are not just 'Working Children' but ' Working School Children'. All of them attend school during most of the year and work during their vacations. Most of their parents cannot afford their school education and all the other costs associated with educating their children. So, these children have decided to take things into their own hands and ensure their way through school towards a brighter horizon. Most children working on such construction
sites earn Nu 15 (US $ 0.31) for every cubic feet of stone they chip. |
Kunzang Nima, a
class III student of Changmey primary school, is determined on crushing 4
cubic feet of stone before leaving for the day by 5:00 in the evening.
He's been working at the site for the past eight days and is sure that he
will be able to make enough money to go back to school once it reopens.
Pema Yangzom, a class VII student in the same school is breaking stones for the first time in her life. She needed new school for the coming year but knew her parents couldn't ever afford to buy her shoes. So she decided to earn them herself. Sherub Gyeltshen, has been working at breaking stones for the past 4 years during his vacations. He started when he was in class VII and has educated himself with this money since then. On an average, these children make Nu 60 (US $1.26) per day and use all their money at the end of three months to buy stationary, uniforms, and shoes for the coming school season. They are not complaining. Sore fingers will naturally heal, as one child said. [Reported in Kuensel Online] |
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| Bangladesh: Urge to decrease death rate among infants under five |
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| One
newborn child dies every four minutes in Bangladesh and 1.5 lakh children
die within 28 days of their birth. These shocking figures were revealed
during two recent conferences held in Bangladesh, the International
Perinatal Congress (IPC) and the Healthy Newborn Partnership (HNP).
Regarding the causes for the large number of deaths, experts quoted that low birth weight and maternal malnutrition were the primary factors that affected the survival of an infant at the time of birth. Participants suggested that if the Millennium Development Goal for child survival was to be met, there was a need to give priority to reducing neonatal mortality rate among new born infants. Recognizing the urgent need for improved prenatal and postnatal care to pregnant mothers and new born infants, the IPC adopted a declaration termed the 'Dhaka Declaration'. The declaration is committed to broad based partnership between government, private sector, professional bodies, health professionals, researchers, community people and international agencies for better maternal health as well as newborn health survival in the country. Though Bangladesh has made significant
progress in improving access of basic health facilities among poor
communities, it has lacked in similar progress in the field of newborn
health and maternal care. Bangladesh faces the reality of 150 000 newborn
deaths every year in the first month of life, almost all from preventable
causes. Only a meager 2 percent mothers and 15 percent children receive
post natal care. This has to change in a big way if the country is to
combat it's extremely high infant mortality. |
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Pakistan: Government Apathy towards growing number of child beggars |
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 [Child Beggar; Source: RAWA] |
Mahjabeen, 10, and her six year old brother beg because their Gardner
father only earns Rs. 60 (US $1.30) which is not enough to support their
eight member family. If Mahjabeen and her little brother stop begging, the
entire family will go hungry. Gul Zaman, 11, begs because his uncle forced him into begging after his father's death. Niaz Ali, Gul Zaman's 9 year old cousin also begs along with him because he needs to buy medicines for his mother who is suffering from tuberculosis. The only rehabilitation center for these children closed a long time back and the only answer that the Director of the Social Welfare Department, Zarina Imdad has for these children, is that the government is looking into the matter. Begging is today a malicious institution which thrives with links to high placed politicians and the mafia through local contractors in which children are used as pawns. [Reported in Dawn] |
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Burma: Military government denies the use of child soldiers |
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| The
Burmese Government has denied allegations by the United Nations and
various other non-governmental organizations that it forcibly recruits
child soldiers and uses children as combatants.
Responding to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's report, Myanmar’s permanent representative to the UN U Kyaw Tint Swe said "there is no credible evidence of recruitment of child soldiers" in Myanmar. Mr. Swe said that Myanmar’s armed forces was an all-volunteer army and those who enrolled themselves did so of their own free will. He also mentioned that under Myanmar's laws, a person under the age of 18 could not enlist him/herself in the armed forces. Mr. Swe said that he felt that the situation in Myanmar was not in ant way a threat to international peace and security and that the evidence was not credible since it was received from insurgents in neighboring countries. [Reported in Myanmar Times] Other reports on child soldiers in Myanmar:
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