By Ma Ma - Feb 02, 2025
Union Minister U Myint Naung, Chairman of the National Committee on the Elimination of Child Labour in Myanmar, stated that child labour elimination is being prioritized in the industrial production sector. However, in reality, the number of underage workers being unlawfully employed is increasing.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Labour on January 28, Myanmar’s First Five-Year National Plan (2019-2023) for the Elimination of Child Labour initially designated five regions—Karen State, Mon State, Bago Region, Yangon Region, and Ayeyarwady Region—as focus areas. It also set six objectives aimed at reducing and eliminating child labour in the industrial production sector and the trade and commerce sector.
However, labour rights activists and workers have pointed out that these efforts do not reflect the actual situation in the industrial sector.
“The reason why child labour is increasingly used in the garment sector is that there is a labour shortage. This shortage is due to the military conscription law, which has led working-age individuals to avoid conscription by seeking employment abroad. As a result, the domestic labour force has decreased. At the same time, many young workers have entered the workforce due to financial difficulties and the inability to attend school. Employers, facing labour shortages, have resorted to hiring children. In some factories with over 300 workers, more than 150 are young labourers,” said a labour rights activist from the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
Additionally, after the military takeover, factors such as rising unemployment, extreme inflation, low wages, conflicts, increasing debt burdens, and a lack of hope have driven many working-age individuals to seek employment abroad. Consequently, underage workers are being pushed into industrial production, construction, and other low-paying jobs within Myanmar.
Factories in Myanmar are employing child labourers under the same working conditions as adult workers, failing to comply with existing regulations and guidelines.
According to reports received by Myanmar Labour News, factory owners are neither considering nor accommodating the needs of underage workers.
“There are more than 50 underage workers, aged 14, 15, and 16, in the factory. The employer does not even require medical clearance before hiring them. They are made to work under the same conditions as adult workers,” said a worker from Mai Yi Bei Garment Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
The Second Five-Year National Plan (2024-2028) for the Elimination of Child Labour will also continue to be implemented based on the six original objectives, focusing on the industrial production sector and the trade and commerce sector across all states and regions, as announced by the Ministry of Labour under the military regime.
