Myanmar Military Using Forced Labor: ILO Report

 

ILO Commission of Inquiry for Myanmar found that the junta is using forced labor in armed conflict and there’s lack of adequate enforcement of the prohibition of forced or compulsory labor. It urged the Myanmar military to stop violations of the two Conventions – Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention – and prevent further abuses. 

The Commission called on the Myanmar military authorities to immediately stop all forms of violence, torture and other inhumane treatment against trade union leaders and members. It urged the junta to release and withdraw all criminal charges against trade unionists. 

The ILO urged the Myanmar military to return the country to democracy, and strive for a peaceful transition to a full democratic rule. Myanmar’s democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted in a military coup in 2021. The military has been accused of human rights violations and has now postponed elections in the country because of ongoing violence.