Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

Burma. The Burmese authorities continued to allow UNICEF and a number of
NGOs, such as Save the Children, to operate large programmes in Burma.
We promoted children’s rights through direct support from DFID and our Embassy to
national and international NGOs working in Burma, and to UN agencies, including
the International Labour Organization. We raised the use of children in armed
conflict in Burma in the UN Security Council and supported robust language on the
issue in the resolution on Burma at the UN General Assembly.
Minorities and other discriminated groups
Burma has a diverse population with around two-thirds of the people considered to
be Burman and the other third belonging to one of the many ethnic groups of Burma.
Since independence, the government has promoted a pro-Burman, pro-Buddhist
approach in its policies, and many ethnic minorities have felt that their culture,
language and land were under threat from “Burmanisation”. There were reports of
land confiscation, the promotion of education in Burmese rather than local
languages, restrictions on religious practices, and the authorities’ control over
cultural practices such as the Kachin New Year. In conflict areas, there were reports
of rape, forced labour, multiple taxation and child military recruitment.
The treatment of the Rohingya Muslims in Northern Rakhine state in 2010 remained
of particular concern. The Rohingya continued to face restrictions on their freedom
of movement and related restrictions on finding employment and the right to marry.
The authorities continued to refuse to issue birth certificates to Muslim children,
denying them citizenship which has led to further discrimination in access to health
services, education and employment. The resulting hardship has caused the
migration of thousands of Rohingya refugees across the border to Bangladesh, and
from there to other countries in the region.
A number of ethnic parties participated in the elections, mainly in the regional
parliaments. They intend to take up their seats in the hope that they will be able to
promote ethnic agendas, while acknowledging that the election process was not free
or fair.
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