A brake to development

Child labour is one of the faces of poverty. It maintains the impoverishment of a part of Myanmar’s society. Child labour has a very high human cost and seriously hinders poverty reduction and national development, not only for the children but for the whole population. Individuals who have been victims of child labour are less able than others to operate a successful transition to a gainful employment. The negative consequences of child labour have wider repercussions. Child labour generates an uneducated and low skills workforce, which may impact the country competitiveness.

A threat to democracy

Child labour requires an appropriate legal framework with concrete programs that guarantees quality education, social protection, and poverty reduction to all without discrimination. Without strong commitment on these issues from the Government and other key stakeholders, child labour can become a threat to democracy and peace building process.