• Burmese
Friday, July 11, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Labor Ministry: Nearly Half of Burma’s 1.2 million Child Workers are at Risk

Htet Naing Zaw by Htet Naing Zaw
March 13, 2017
in Burma
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
A boy works at a seafood export factory in Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone, outside Rangoon, in 2016. / Reuters

A boy works at a seafood export factory in Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone, outside Rangoon, in 2016. / Reuters

6.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

NAYPYIDAW — Nearly half of the 1.2 million child workers in Burma are engaged in a hazardous occupation, estimated the Union Minister for Labor, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe.

The minister highlighted the health risks posed to child workers as he addressed a meeting on developing a national-level plan to eliminate child labor in Burma, in Naypyidaw on Monday.

“We plan to finish formulating the plan by November,” said U Thein Swe. “We will conduct education campaigns to reduce child labor and we will try to remove children from hazardous workplaces.”

RelatedPosts

The San Francisco Pride Board of Directors contingent

‘Queer Joy Is Resistance’: San Francisco’s Pride Parade

July 1, 2025
221
UN Rapporteur Urges Rejection of Myanmar Election ‘Fraud’

UN Rapporteur Urges Rejection of Myanmar Election ‘Fraud’

June 26, 2025
852
China Defends Myanmar Junta on Human Rights at UN

China Defends Myanmar Junta on Human Rights at UN

June 12, 2025
2.1k

The International Labor Organization (ILO) regards those aged between five and 18 as children and according to Burma’s 2014 national population census, there are around 1.2 million laborers of this age in Burma, said the minister.

He added that he was concerned that the problem of child labor might continue because of the country’s developing economy.

“If we say we don’t allow children do such jobs, their families, who have to depend on their income, might face hardship,” he said.

Pilot surveys will be conducted in Rangoon and Irrawaddy divisions and in Mon State to find out the exact number of child laborers working in hazardous environments, U Win Shein, director-general of the Factory and Labor Laws Inspection Department, told the media.

The surveys will be jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Rehabilitation, and the ILO.

A local NGO Yadana Metta recently conducted a survey on 529 child laborers in Shan State’s Taunggyi Township and Bago’s Pyay Township.

The children surveyed reported carrying heavy items, inhaling dust and fumes, working in hot or unventilated places, working in lakes and rivers, or being exposed to hazardous substances.

“Children were often subjected to shouting, scolding, and cursing by employers and older employees, which could hinder the mental development of children,” according to the report.

Burma’s labor laws state that only children engaged in factory work can be classed as child labor, U Win Shein said.

“Child labor is that high because the ILO has also counted children who traditionally help their family businesses in agriculture, livestock breeding, and fisheries in rural areas,” he explained.

Major challenges in reducing child labor are poverty, education, natural disaster response, and internal migration, he added.

According to Burma’s labor law, children who have reached the age of 14 can legally work, if they have a doctor’s certificate saying they are healthy enough to do so.

The department estimates that there are over 11,000 children working in teashops and restaurants in Burma. U Win Shein also stressed the need to dispel the traditional belief that children in rural areas should drop out of school and help their families after completing basic education.

Burma signed the ILO Convention 182—the Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention—on Dec. 18, 2013, and put forward an implementation report in September 2015.

With the support of the US Department of Labor, ILO is implementing a four-year project on the elimination of child labor in Burma that began on Dec. 31, 2013 and will end on Dec. 31, 2017.

As a result of this project, a national level working plan could be adopted soon, said minister U Thein Swe.

Translated by Thet Ko Ko

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Child LaborDevelopmentHuman Rights
Htet Naing Zaw

Htet Naing Zaw

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Singapore Called On to Stop Feeding Myanmar Junta’s War Machine
Myanmar’s Crisis & the World

Singapore Called On to Stop Feeding Myanmar Junta’s War Machine

by The Irrawaddy
August 24, 2023
10.2k

Over 200 civil society organizations demand that city-state block regime’s access to arms, dual-use goods, technology and funds.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta’s Yangon Economics Minister was Friends with Assassin Conspirator 
Burma

Myanmar Junta’s Yangon Economics Minister was Friends with Assassin Conspirator 

by The Irrawaddy
September 28, 2022
18.5k

Lieutenant Colonel Myo Myint Aung has been appointed to run Yangon’s economy, despite having a military background.

Read moreDetails
KIA Seizes Three Key Myanmar Junta Outposts
Ethnic Issues

KIA Seizes Three Key Myanmar Junta Outposts

by Hein Htoo Zan
August 8, 2023
5.9k

The Kachin Independence Army said it has overrun two regime strongholds and one held by its Shan Nationalities Army allies.

Read moreDetails
EU Imposes Sanctions on Six More Myanmar Junta Officials
Burma

EU Imposes Sanctions on Six More Myanmar Junta Officials

by The Irrawaddy
July 21, 2023
5.8k

Military’s mining enterprise also penalized for aiding regime’s escalation of violence and grave human rights violations since coup.

Read moreDetails
Ex-Spy Chief and Business Cronies Donate to Myanmar Junta Chief’s Buddha Statue
Burma

Ex-Spy Chief and Business Cronies Donate to Myanmar Junta Chief’s Buddha Statue

by The Irrawaddy
July 28, 2023
5.6k

The world’s largest seated Buddha statue is due to be unveiled on Tuesday as cronies gather to shower the project...

Read moreDetails
Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project
Economy

Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

by The Irrawaddy
May 15, 2025
4.8k

Kamigumi, the Sumitomo Corporation and Toyota say they are withdrawing from the Thilawa port project in Yangon.

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
U Kyaw Myo Shwe talks to the media. / The Irrawaddy

Rangoon Resident Files Suit Against Ma Ba Tha Member

Leader of the USDP U Than Htay in Hlaing Tharyar Township, Rangoon, on Sunday. / U Than Htay / Facebook

USDP Chairman: ‘Much of Burma is in Chaos’

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

1 day ago
812
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

3 days ago
808

Most Read

  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chin Resistance Tensions Boil Over as CNA Seizes Rival’s Myanmar HQ

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.