Description:
"In late February 2007, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) reached an agreement regarding the implementation of a new
mechanism intended to allow individuals to submit complaints of forced labour without fear of
retaliation. External observers have reported that this agreement represents a positive step towards
effectively addressing forced labour in Burma. However, as this commentary points out, the potential
usefulness and effectiveness of the new mechanism is suspect. By outlining some of the ways in
which the SPDC actively obstructs villagers from accessing such mechanisms and the inability of the
ILO to ensure protection for civilians from retaliation, this commentary warns that the results of this
agreement will likely misrepresent the true scale of forced labour in Burma. It further calls for the ILO
to publicly acknowledge these limitations, so that the SPDC is unable to use the lack of complaints to
deny the existence of forced labour."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group Commentaries (KHRG #2007-C1)
Date of Publication:
2007-04-10
Date of entry:
2007-04-27
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Language:
English