Burma's Kachin Face Human Trafficking Threat Along Chinese Border

Country:

Myanmar (burma)

Author:

Lusha Chen
2013 Reporting Fellow

English

When a Burmese woman marries a Chinese man, she may give up basic human rights. Yet many Burmese...

Lusha Chen
2013 Reporting Fellow

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Media file: school_girl_in_kachin.png — An estimated 45 percent of the IDPs’ children under age 16 were forced to leave school in their home villages because of war. Other girls drop out of school so that they can work and contribute to the family income. Leaving school makes young girls more vulnerable to human trafficking. Image by Lusha Chen. Burma, 2013.

The decades-long conflict between the Burmese government and Kachin Independence Army, members of a minority group, has "created a perfect storm for human trafficking along the China-Burma border," according to a report released by Kachin Women's Association Thailand.

Since 2010, some 10,000 people have been driven to the Chinese border and now live in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. They cannot seek help as refugees because the Chinese government refuses to become involved. Kachin women who live near the border suffer dual risks—exposed both to fighting and human trafficking. In this video Boston University student fellow Lusha Chen shows us women who have been trafficked, some who have escaped, and one who helps victims re-adjust to a new life.