Human Rights

As part of my research I have been studying human rights abuses in both Burma, as well as Burmese refugees in Bangladesh and Thailand. Since the 60's Burma's Human Rights record has become increasingly worse, and continues to worsen. Burma's ethnic minorities are often victims of discrimination and human rights abuses. The SPDC forces many people into unpaid labour, often as porters or construction workers, rape, destruction of villages and burning of crops. On top of this there is little to no access to education and healthcare both in rural villages and refugee camps. I have worked with several refugee men who were forced to act as porters for the SPDC, and if they refused their families would be killed. Many of the women that I worked with were raped by SPDC soldiers and forced to house them for weeks at a time as they occupied their village. Children are often forced into labour or recruited as child soldiers, and in fact, Burma has more child soldiers than any other country in the world (Heppner, 2002). 

Karen woman forced to leave her village after it was burnt by
the SPDC. Photo courtesy of KHRG



Family in hiding on their way to refugee camps inThailand.
Photo courtesy of KHRG

Village members assembling to work as porters for the SPDC
Photo courtesy of KHRG



Children working as porters near an IDP camp
Photo courtesy of KHRG

Here are a few organizations that I would consider a reliable source of news and human rights info working inside of Burma and along the border regions...

Human Rights Watch- HRW is an organization dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. They stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. 

They highlight many countries around the world, and for Burma's page you can click here.

Karen Human Rights Group- The Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) is an independent local organisation committed to improving the human rights situation in Burma by projecting the voices of villagers and supporting their strategies to claim human rights. They train and equip local people to document villagers' stories and gather evidence of human rights abuses; disseminate this information worldwide; and work directly with local villagers in enhancing their strategies to resist human rights abuses.

Be advised that some reports published by the KHRG can be quite graphic. 

Free Burma Rangers- The FBR's mission is to bring help, hope and love to people of all faiths and ethnicities in the war zones of Burma, to shine a light on the actions of the dictators' army, to stand with the oppressed, and to support leaders and organizations committed to liberty, justice and service. They provide both direct services inside Burma, as well as publish reports about the current situation inside Burma.