More and more children are being forced to work to support their families in war-ravaged Arakan State, according to residents.
Livelihood hardships and rising commodity prices have necessitated that many children under the age of 18 do odd jobs to support their families.
Maung Oo Kyaw San, a 16-year-old 12th grader, has been working at a jetty loading and unloading goods in Kyauktaw Town since he and his family fled Sittwe. They now live at the Nay Pu Khan displacement in Kyauktaw. He earns just over 10,000 kyats a day.
“My family is struggling to make ends meet, so I do what I can,” said Maung Oo Kyaw San. “Many of the workers here are younger than me. Most of them can’t attend school. They are struggling even to eat two meals a day.”
Many children displaced by the hostilities in Arakan State are involved in some form of wage-earning labour such as unloading goods, selling popsicles, or washing cars.
An internally displaced person (IDP) and parent from Ponnagyun Township said: “Jobs are scarce and the prices are high, so children have to work. When they work, it helps with the family’s expenses. We can’t send them to school because we are displaced by conflict. They are also no longer interested in attending school.”
Since the conflict between Myanmar’s military and Arakkha Army (AA) began anew in November 2023, the vast majority of IDPs have not received help from international organisations due to junta blockades, and the support of local social organisations is also historically low due to a variety of factors including an economy in ruins since the 2021 coup.
“Both Muslim and Arakanese children rush to carry goods when cargo vessels arrive. They carry as much as they can. We have to pay them the same amount of money that adult workers charge,” said merchant U Nay Lin.
Other displaced children can be found begging for food in crowded places.
Myanmar enacted the Child Law in 1993. A new version was adopted, as the Child Rights Law, with amendments in 2019. Myanmar signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991.
