HMAWBI, Myanmar – Fourteen-year-old San Min Hteik had worked at the steel factory for less than a week when his hand got caught in a machine, a casualty of the economic boom driving more children into Myanmar’s factories. He is one of thousands of young factory workers fueling Myanmar’s rapid growth as foreign investors pile into the country after the end of half a century of military-governed isolation. San Win, a local union leader who helped negotiate San Min Hteik’s settlement, said many parents push their children into work to help support the family. Selim Benaissa from the International Labor Organization said children working outside factories often end up in more dangerous jobs, such as rubbish collecting or sex work. “Children will work anyway… this is something that is totally accepted, even by the children,” he said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 23, 2017 09:33 UTC