To Better Know A Country: Human Trafficking in Burma

by Amanda Kloer · 2009-08-12 07:00:00 UTC
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Every year, the U.S. State Department releases a Trafficking in Persons report which rates countries on their efforts to combat human trafficking.  Each week, I'll be providing a brief glance at human trafficking in one of those countries, based off the 2009 Trafficking in Persons report, with my own (often snarky) analysis added.  This is just a snapshot of what's going on in the country.  For more information, you can check out the full text of the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report here. 

This Week's Country..... Burma

Basic Stats

  • Ranking: Tier 3

  • Status: Source country for trafficking victims

  • Political Stability: I guess crippling oppression is a form of stability...

  • Cash Flow: Lower than Snoop Dogg's fat pants

  • Do I Think They Care?: Not even if the Burmese people all caught on fire

Who Are the Victims and What Are They Doing?

  • Girls: Commercial sex, child sex tourism, domestic servitude, and forced labor in agriculture, fishing, or shops

  • Boys: Forced begging, child sex tourism, child soldiers, and forced labor in agriculture, fishing, or shops

  • Women: Commercial sex and forced marriage

  • Men: Forced labor

Where Are They Coming From and Where Are They Going?

  • Victims are trafficked from Burma to Thailand, China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and South Korea.

  • Burmese victims are trafficked internally.

What's Gotta Happen?

  • Prosecute military officials who recruit or use child soldiers.

  • Prosecute internal trafficking and forced labor.

  • Work with NGOs in a transparent way.

  • Develop victim identification procedures.

  • Create more public awareness campaigns on internal trafficking of women for commercial sex.

What Can I Do? 

In summary, Burma's government is currently run by an oppressive, authoritarian military regime which seems to care little for the basic human rights of the Burmese people, including freedom from slavery.  There is much, much work to be done in Burma and very little money to do it with, which means I'm not shocked if trafficking falls off their radar.  Perhaps when Aung San Suu Kyi, the Prime Minister Elect of Burma, is allowed to leaver her house and is rightfully returned to power, human trafficking in Burma will begin to peter off with the other oppressions.

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic
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