Intervention and Monitoring of Underage Recruitment and Children

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ILO in Myanmar works to a restricted mandate for the elimination of forced labour including underage recruitment. The Yangon Liaison Office is also part of the Country Task force for Children in Armed Conflict (CTFMR) working with UN and INGO partners. As a member of the CTFMR the ILO is a full party to an agreed multiple agency project funded by the EU targeted at fulfilling the obligations imposed through the listing of Myanmar under Security Council Resolution 1612 on Children in Armed Conflict. This supports the areas of monitoring and reporting, intervention and release, rehabilitation and reintegration, and training and educating of both Government Authorities (military and civil) and the General Public. The EU funding is for 12 months (50%) of a two year activity on the basis that the individual Agencies party to the project obtain the other 12 months (50%) funding from alternative sources. In respect of these project commitments the ILO has accepted responsibility for supporting the monitoring and reporting, intervention and release, and education and training elements. In this regard the ILO will: 1. Through the strengthening, expansion and improved coordination of its complaint facilitator network and through the operation of the Supplementary Understanding Complaints Mechanism (SU) agreed between the Government of the Union of Myanmar (GoUM) and the ILO, monitor incidents, identify trends and provide resultant information and statistics for inclusion in CTFMR reports. 2. Through the operation of the SU Complaints Mechanism achieve the discharge/ release of underage recruits into the military. Under the SU residents of Myanmar can safely complain to the ILO if they believe that they or their family etc have been subjected to forced labour or underage recruitment. The Liaison Officer assesses the complaint and if deemed genuine and within the scope of the SU will submit the complaint to the GoUM for their verifying investigation. A solution to the complaint is then negotiated which may involve in underage recruitment cases, amongst other things, further training of Government Officials, the discharge of the victim, his release from prison if convicted of desertion and the punishment of the perpetrator under criminal and/or military law. 3. In association with the Ministry of Labour, other CTFMR members and in its own right undertake awareness raising and training activity with Officials (Military and Civil) as to their responsibilities under Myanmar Law and International Conventions; and of Civil Society and the General Public as to their rights under the law.

Project symbol

MMR/11/02/SID

Admin unit

IPEC

Start date

01/05/2011

End date

28/02/2013

Total allocation

291910

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

291910

Development Partners

Sweden, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Country/Countries

Myanmar

Outcomes

International Labour Standards