Human Rights Violations in Burma
By Caitlin O’Connell
The human rights situation in Burma is dire; over the past few years, Burma’s current ruling government, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has increased state repression and the abuse of basic rights. The SPDC, previously the State Law and Order Restoration Council, is a military regime that seized power by force during the 1990 election despite overwhelming support for its opposition, the National League for Democracy (NLD). Widespread forced labor, land confiscation, the arrest and torture of political dissidents and the use of rape as a weapon by the Burmese military are commonplace and even win the official support of the government.
Civilians are forced into government-organized labor projects that serve the military. Work includes carrying the equipment for military operations, the construction of military bases and infrastructure such as roads and bridges, projects to generate money for the military and forced enlistment into the army. Many civilians have been ordered to join the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), which is a government-created political movement. If the USDA continues to increase its membership, it will transform the military into one made up of more civilians that soldiers.
Torture and other forms of degrading punishment have been used by the SPDC in Burma for more than 40 years. Ever since the pro-democracy uprising of 1988, the use of torture has increased. Torture serves a dual purpose in Burma; on the one hand, it can be used to extract information from those suspected of involvement in anti-government activities, and on the other hand it can be a state terror tool to discourage political dissidence. Civilians, prisoners, and detainees all suffer from the same torture methods: electrocution, sleep denial, being forced to sit or squat in uncomfortable positions or to kneel on glass and other sharp shards for long periods of time. The problem is that there is no law against torture, and no clear definition of what “torture” entails. Perhaps the most serious of all of these abuses is the rampant, state-sanctioned rape.
What we have to remember is that these human rights abuses are not only afflicted on full-grown civilians and political dissidents, but on children as well. Although in the Burmese cultural tradition children are valued and cherished members of society, under the strict militant rule of the SPDC, children’s rights are disregarded. The SPDC established a Child Law in 1943, which states that all children have a basic entitlement to “survival, development, protection and care, and to achieve participation in the community.” In addition to the exploitation of young children in the labor force and through sexual violence, the SPDC further threatens the livelihood of Burmese children for military purposes. The recruiting and kidnapping of both boys and girls for the military is common. Whereas boys are most often recruited as soldiers, girls are used as porters and sexual slaves for the army troops. According to Human Rights Watch, approximately 70,000 of the country’s 350,000 to 400,000 soldiers are children.
Forced military conscription is not the only threat to the well-being of Burmese children. The school drop-out rate in Burma is one of the highest in Asia. Malnutrition and lack of clean drinking water serve as catalysts for diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, tuberculosis, malaria, measles, hepatitis-B, and AIDS.
The SPDC has disregarded all international standards of behavior, and has shown no concern for their population. Thus, gentle diplomacy has failed. We must call on the United Nations Security Council to intervene to end the human rights abuses in Burma and the threat that the SPDC poses to the stability of the rest of Southeast Asia.
