The Context

Burmese migrant workers in Thailand (Mae Sot) are often very poor and are mistreated by their employers

Many of the children of Burmese migrant workers are unable to attend Thai public schools due to many barriers, including costs and documentation requirements.

Many of these children then end up as child labor

The plight of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand

“They successfully fled the brutal military regime, but their path seldom led to a happier life. In Thailand, greedy entrepreneurs have been quick to exploit illegal immigrants from Burma. They are given the country's dirtiest jobs and they live under appalling conditions.”

The barriers to getting Burmese migrant children to a Thai school

“Though under Thai law all children regardless of status should be able to access the Thai education system the reality is that due to many barriers most migrant children are unable to do so.

These barriers range from fear of the authorities, through to lacking the income to cover school costs such as uniforms and books and not being able to speak the Thai language. An added problem is that education gained in Burma is not recognised in Thailand. Even if a child has completed secondary school in Burma, they still have to start their Thai education from primary school.

Parents also fear that sending their children to Thai schools will identify their whereabouts and they will be deported back to Burma. Furthermore, these schools do not teach their languages or anything about their culture.

The result is that many of these children are either forced to work in difficult conditions with their parents or are left at home in cramped and unhygienic conditions, often without minders. Many are consequently found wandering the streets and are vulnerable to all sorts of abuse, trafficking and exploitation.”

http://www.childrenontheedge.org/thailand-education-for-migrant-children.html

Also see:

http://www.irinnews.org/report/84844/thailand-burmese-migrant-children-missing-out-on-education

Child labour on the Thai-Burma border

International Labor Organisation reports on “the findings of a survey of more than 300 Burmese children working in factories on the Thai side of the border reveals a situation of serious labour exploitation, in many cases considered to be worst forms of child labour.”

http://www.ilo.org/asia/whatwedo/publications/WCMS_BK_PB_64_EN/lang--en/index.htm

“The political, economic and human rights crisis in Burma, which has undermined basic considerations of human security and reduced the margins of survival for both urban and rural populations, has created a wave of migration to Thailand – a wave that carries with it both adults and children – some accompanied and some not.”

“The economic desperation of these Burmese migrants has made it relatively easy for both adult and child migrant workers to be exploited in both the formal and informal industries of Mae Sot. But with approximately 42 per cent of Burma’s population aged 18 years or less, there is a large and steady supply of potential child workers – their youth and inexperience accompanied by increased vulnerability to exploitation.