UN focus on child rights in Myanmar

In the second periodic report of Myanmar, the Committee welcomed the adoption of Rules and Regulations related to the Child Law in 2001; the creation of the National Human Rights Committee in 2000; Myanmar Women’s Affairs Federation in 2003, whose mandate included promotion and protection of the rights of children; National AIDS Programme and the development of the “Joint Programme for HIV/AIDS: Myanmar 2003-2005”; National Health Plan 1996-2001, which achieved high immunization coverage for a significant part of the population; “Education for All” National Action Plan; and Joint Plan of Action for the elimination of forced labour with the ILO.

The Committee recommended, among other things, that the State party strengthen its efforts to systematically involve communities and other elements of civil society, including children's associations, throughout all stages of the implementation of the Convention, including the formulation of policies and programmes, and in the drafting process of the next report to the Committee. It recommended that the State party recognize that all persons below the age of 18 are granted special protection measures and specific rights as enshrined in the Convention, and that the minimum age for criminal responsibility was raised to an internationally acceptable age. The Committee also recommended that the State party raise the minimum age for marriage for girls.

The Committee strongly recommended that the State party repeal article 66(d) of the 1993 Child Law and prohibit corporal punishment in the family, in schools and other institutions, and undertake education campaigns to educate families and professionals on alternative forms of discipline. It also recommended that the Stateparty assess the scope, nature and causes of violence against children, in particular sexual violence against girls, with a view to adopting a comprehensive strategy on effective measures and policies, and on changing general attitudes.

The Committee recommended that the State party increase its efforts to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, taking into account the Committee's general comment No.3 on HIV/AIDS and the rights of children; strengthen its measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission, inter alia, through coordination with the activities aimed at reducing maternal mortality. It recommended taking adequate measures to address the impact upon children of the HIV/AIDS-related deaths of parents, teachers and others, in terms of children's reduced access to family life, adoption, emotional care and education; and strengthen its efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among adolescents.

The Committee recommended that the State party improve the quality of the education system with a view to achieving the aims mentioned in article 29.1 of the Convention and the Committee's General Comments on the aims of education; introduce human rights, including children's rights, into the school curricula, starting at the primary level; make primary education free in practice by minimising all costs borne by parents; extend the years of the compulsory education beyond Fourth Grade to at least Sixth Grade; and strengthen its efforts to progressively ensure that girls as well as boys, from urban, rural and remote areas, and those children belonging to minority groups all have equal access to educational opportunities.

The Committee strongly recommended that the State party adopt and implement a comprehensive national plan of action to prevent and combat child labour; extend the protection from sexual exploitation and trafficking in all relevant legislation to all boys and girls below the age of 18 years; and formulate a National Plan of Action to combat trafficking.