Overview
Our partner works in the sprawling urban slum areas in the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar’s capital. Due to poverty, children from the slums are vulnerable to being trafficked. Local police estimate 20 cases of trafficking of 12–18-year-olds monthly – mainly young girls for sexual exploitation and boys for child labour in local tea-houses and restaurants. COVID-19 has exacerbated the trafficking risks due to increasing financial pressures faced by families losing jobs. With nine community centres operating, our partner is well placed to deliver strong anti-trafficking awareness programs to these vulnerable communities and to engage in regular household visits. The project will also continue and expand its combined vocational skills/trafficking prevention program for women, which has had successful results.
Why Support This
We are impressed with our partner’s experience and their desire to protect children; the most vulnerable group. We like that they work closely with the local police and community leaders to protect children and families to bring about change in communities. We also appreciate the collection of data on trafficking to assist them in pinpointing effective strategies, together with the participation of volunteers from the slum communities.
Budget
$16,800. This covers teacher training, materials for distribution, trafficking awareness and prevention events, as well as monitoring and evaluation.
The Need
Myanmar has suffered from 50 years of military rule and remains a country unsettled by government forces. Resources are limited and slum areas and poverty are common-place with one of the five slums mentioned cramming in a million people and others 200,000. Children as young as five are often involved in the care of their younger siblings or are forced to work, leaving them highly vulnerable to traffickers who live within the communities. The economic devastation of COVID-19 and the instability caused by the military coup in early 2021 that has left thousands of families in these slums areas without salaries or work for months, has only added to the vulnerability to trafficking.
Expected Life Change
