Executive Summary
Burma is
experiencing one of the most neglected humanitarian and human rights
crises in the world. No less than half a million people are internally
displaced in the eastern part of the country and at least one million
more have fled to neighboring nations. This report provides an in-depth
look at the causes of displacement in Burma, the acute needs of the
internally displaced population and the current response to those
needs.
Because the government of Burma is not fulfilling its responsibility to
protect and support its own people, particularly ethnic minorities, the
report recommends that the United States and the international aid
community channel more funds into Burma. The Burmese people cannot wait
for a civilian government before receiving humanitarian assistance from
the outside world. International aid is already attempting to respond
to a number of crises in Burma threatening millions of people. If these
crises are not addressed immediately, their long-term impact will
affect many generations to come, not only in Burma, but in the
surrounding region.
The international community should provide aid to Burma for four key
reasons:
1. Aid is needed to respond to humanitarian crises and control their
spread in the region.
2. Aid is required to build the capacity of community-based
organizations and other non-governmental organizations that can access
areas that are off-limits to international organizations.
3. Aid can lay the foundations of democracy and contribute to a
“bottom-up” social and political transition.
4. Aid can help create a national identity and be used for
conflict-resolution and peace-building initiatives.
More than five decades of conflict between the Burman controlled state
and ethnic non-Burman nationalities has forced millions from their
homes. Although many ethnic groups originally fought for independence,
today almost all accept the Union of Burma and merely seek increased
local authority and equality within a new federal structure. The
Burmese military government, the State peace and development council,
still suspects these groups of scheming to split the country and uses
this as a justification for its brutal policies, including executions,
torture, disappearances, forced conscription of children in the armed
forces, rape, demolition of places of worship, and forced labor. To a
lesser extent, human rights violations are also carried out by ethnic
insurgent groups fighting the government.
Hundreds of thousands of people continue to be displaced in areas where
armed conflict has ended. Human rights abuses by the military,
large-scale development and infrastructure projects, and schemes to
resettle the urban poor have all driven people from their homes. The
most widespread form of displacement in Burma is migration by people
seeking a secure livelihood, but they are generally not considered
internally displaced under UN guidelines.
Displaced people in Burma live in ceasefire areas administered by
ethnic nationalities, government-run relocation sites, and conflict and
war-affected areas. Conditions are poor for most internally displaced
people, but those in conflict and war-affected zones are especially
vulnerable. In terms of health care delivery, the World Health
organization has ranked Burma 190th out of 191 countries. Basic medical
supplies are difficult to obtain in the country and there is a lack of
information about diseases such as HIV/AIDS, even though Burma has one
of the most serious epidemics in Asia. Surveys show that some in the
displaced population have never even heard of HIV/AIDS.
It is further estimated that one in six children under the age of five
is acutely malnourished among internally displaced and war-affected
people. Access to education is similarly low — in conflict and
war-affected areas, there are often no resources for teacher salaries
and educational materials. When fighting breaks out the schools may be
destroyed and education disrupted.
The government of Burma does not recognize the existence of internally
displaced people in its borders and has no programs to assist them.
Most displacement in Burma is the result of government policy and
military action and officials regularly prevent organizations from
accessing and responding to the needs of the Burmese people. An
international response to displacement is all the more necessary for
humanitarian reasons and to help protect the people. The presence of
international or local organization personnel helps reduce the
government’s human rights violations because the regime does not want
witnesses to acts of violence.
Humanitarian aid to internally displaced people is provided by
Burma-based international agencies, community-based organizations, and
Thailand-based agencies. Access to the neediest populations is
extremely restricted and international organizations lack the capacity
to identify most populations of internally displaced persons. People in
the conflict and war-affected areas of eastern Burma are off limits to
international agencies with the exception of the international
committee of the red cross, which has limited access. Within the un
system, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is
the only agency to have received permission from the government to
become involved with internally displaced people.
A 2003 survey revealed that up to 214,000 community-based organizations
and 270 local non-governmental organizations operate in Burma. Because
local groups can access many more locations than international
organizations, partnerships between international agencies and local
networks offer a promising means to meet the needs of internally
displaced people. Some Thailand-based groups also provide cross-border
assistance including food provision; medical care for communicable
diseases, obstetric emergencies and other problems; water and
sanitation awareness programs; and teacher training. However, limited
capacity and resources hinder their operations.
After the Burmese military brutally suppressed the democracy movement
in 1988, most countries cut off bilateral aid to Burma with the
rationale that aid would have little positive impact and would
reinforce the military regime. Humanitarian assistance has been reduced
dramatically since that time, while disease, poverty, malnutrition and
human rights abuses have increased. The Burmese government has
consistently resisted international efforts, which have been fragmented
and incoherent, to convince it to change its policies and end internal
oppression.
The debate over aid rages on and even those who support aid to Burma
are concerned that the assistance will be misdirected by the regime for
its own use. As in any other country, there is the possibility that aid
will allow the government to divert resources to other purposes, but
most assistance is provided in areas where the government is ignoring
the needs of the people. Disagreement also prevails over sanctions
against the regime. Some believe such policies cause the people to
suffer while the junta survives through the support of Asian neighbors.
Others argue that sanctions provide moral support to pro-democracy
forces and will weaken the regime in the long run.
Recommendations
(See full list of recommendations)
Donor governments should fund humanitarian agencies based in Burma now.
The US in particular should expand funding for humanitarian initiatives
and allocate more resources for displaced people in Burma.
A number of additional steps must be taken by the government of Burma,
the international aid community, the United Nations, international
agencies based in Burma and Thailand, the United States and other
nations to assist internally displaced people in Burma. First and
foremost, the government of Burma must respect the human rights of its
people and allow agencies to support and assist displaced people in its
borders. This is unlikely to happen any time soon, and the overall goal
of donor governments and international organizations therefore should
be to convince the Burmese government to allow access to the entire
population in all parts of the country.
International organizations have been able to expand gradually their
involvement in sensitive subjects such as HIV/AIDS, so there is reason
to expect that dialogue can make a difference. The United Nations as a
whole must develop a common strategy to respond to the humanitarian and
human rights crises in Burma. The Security council should put Burma on
its agenda and explore possibilities for a lasting political solution
in the country. Top UN officials must make Burma a priority and attempt
to urge the Burmese regime to recognize internal displacement and
follow its responsibilities under international human rights and
humanitarian law.
Collective action is needed by the un country team, and UNHCR and the
UN children’s Fund (UNICEF) especially need to play a greater role with
internally displaced people. Both UNHCR and UNICEF have an opportunity
to urge the government to grant them access to the displaced because of
programs they have already been given permission to run.
Until greater access is achieved, the United Nations and other
international agencies should channel funds through community-based
organizations and train local networks on collecting data on human
rights violations and other vulnerabilities. this data should be shared
with advocacy organizations and agencies within Burma that are able to
investigate cases of abuse. The emergence of civil society networks and
community-based organizations in Burma should be encouraged, especially
among minority and under-represented groups. Donors should also develop
strategies to protect displaced people in war-affected zones from
further violence and abuse and help build the capacity of
Thailand-based agencies, which are virtually the only groups providing
aid to displaced people in these areas.
While the situation in Burma presents major challenges for the world at
large, it can no longer be ignored. Humanitarian needs in Burma have
reached a stage where they must be addressed immediately and
international organizations in the country with the expertise to
respond to these crises must be given permission by the government of
Burma to carry out their activities. More international organizations
should consider working in Burma and the international community must
support their initiatives. The displaced people inside Burma deserve no
less.
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