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Anti-Slavery International would like to draw the attention of
the Commission to the specific situation of the Muslim children
of Northern Rakhine State in Burma. They belong to a group widely
known as the Rohingya. They are born stateless, discriminated
against from birth on the basis of their ethnicity. The 1982 Citizenship
Law deprives them of citizenship rights and perpetuates statelessness.
The State Peace and Development Council has started issuing "white
identity cards" to the Muslim population of Rakhine State,
but this is no more than a temporary residence permit clearly stating
that it cannot be used as a proof to claim citizenship.
The regime's policies of exclusion against the Rohingya
Muslim children of Northern Rakhine State are being implemented
through a series of measures designed to impede child development
and family growth.
Among them, I would cite:
- Restrictions of freedom of movement, as Rohingya children
and their parents are virtually confined to their village tracts.
The need to obtain travel passes limits their access to health,
education and employment, thus severely affecting the livelihood
of the family.
- In the field of health and education, they are particularly neglected.
Sixty per cent of the Muslim children of Northern Rakhine State
are said to suffer from malnutrition and the level of illiteracy
is extremely high.
- Restriction of access to food through a series of constraints,
including arbitrary taxation and extortion, is the main strategy
of the regime to encourage departure, and a major root cause of
the ongoing exodus to Bangladesh.
- Increasingly, measures are being imposed to control birth and
to limit expansion of the Rohingya population. Unlike other
people of Burma, the Rohingyas must apply for permission
to get married, which is only granted in exchange for high bribes
and can take up to several years to obtain. To register their children's
birth, parents are charged fees that significantly increased in
2003. Moreover, building a new house or repairing or extending an
existing dwelling also require authorisation, resulting in overcrowded
and precarious living conditions, affecting women and children.
Many Rohingya children are subject to forced labour. Cultural
practices in the Rohingya community prevent women from participating
in activities outside of their homes. As male adults are busy earning
the daily wage to feed the family, the burden of carrying out forced
labour duties often falls on children.
Mr Chairman,
What kind of future can these stateless children hope for? An answer
to this question can only emerge when the policies of discrimination
and exclusion end, allowing the creation of an environment conducive
to children's development. Burma acceded to the Convention on
the Rights of the Child in 1991, but the treatment accorded
to Rohingya children is in blatant breach of its obligations.
We request the Commission to address such discriminatory practices
with the Government of Burma and strongly urge it to ensure respect
for the fundamental rights of these children.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.
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