Burning hands

Ko Ko Kyaw - the young boy in Kit Kit’s film ‘Burning Hands’ - has been working since he was seven-years-old, carrying cement on construction sites in the hot Mandalay sun. His hands get so raw and bloody that his mother tries to heal them with candle wax. Physical exhaustion and sleep deprivation are daily struggles.

Date issued: 06 November 2020 | Size/duration: 00:02:36

 
Ko Ko Kyaw dreams of a better future for himself and his sisters, who are also child labourers. A life with drawing, learning and an escape from physical suffering. But with COVID-19, this dream now seems even more distant.

In June 2020, Myanmar ratified a new international labour convention which bans children 14 and younger from working, and all under 18s from working in hazardous conditions. Now is the time to turn policy to action. Now is the time to put an end to stories like this one.

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This film was produced by the International Labour Organization and PhotoDoc Association, with support from the Embassy of Switzerland.