[imText1]In the large crowd attending the 2006 Asia Human Rights Forum – Child Labor and Trafficking in Asia, it was not difficult to single out Norma Kang Muico. The DailyNK met with Ms. Muico, Anti-Slavery International UK, the only speaker at the conference on child rights and trafficking in North Korea and heard from her about her recent report, “Vulnerability of North Korean Children to Exploitation and Slavery-like Practices in China and the DPRK.”
The following is the dialogue with Ms. Muico in full text.
Can you describe to us the level of vulnerability the North Korean children are facing?
Because you have factors of great concern of emergency such as food and economics crises that are affecting North Korea, there are children in North Korea malnutritioned, desperate to find a means to survive, they go to China in search of food and work. They are not very different from food and economic crises so the level of vulnerability of these children is quite high understandably. If a girl is trafficked while in search of food or work, or even before she gets to China she is forced into marriage, because demand it there. Labor is difficult situation in China because it is heavily regulated and there are constant periodic crackdown by the Chinese authorities so it is quite dangerous for the Chinese employers to employ North Koreans, so that it is not really a venue but I think the children in North Korea and as well as those who reach China are very vulnerable.
Do you deal with Child Rights in particular in your report?
Yes. It takes a part in the debate on exploitation and on the issue of trafficking of children and forced marriage. The Chinese and North Korean governments are not doing anything about it. When they are trafficked into China, the Chinese government has a duty to protect them and not treat them as illegal migrants. But what they do is just arrest them and deport them like anyone else. Those trafficked must not be deported but rather protect them, because the Chinese authorities know so well that when they go back to North Korea they will be sent to detention camps.
What makes your report different from other reports?
Taken from the trafficking and sexual exploitation of North Korean women, I saw that there was very little information out there and it makes it very difficult to track information about the North Korean women trafficked or exploited, but it is even more challenging to gather information on children. This is because children are perhaps less willing to talk about their experiences, and perhaps the NGOs are less willing to take these testimonies out because it is very delicate situation.
How did you collect the information?
I started with South Korea, it is the most logical step you start with for the research because you have North Korean defectors here and also because it is a safe place to conduct research whereas China would be, and North Korea is impossible. Access to South Korean NGOs working on the issues that can relate to trafficking and you also have international NGOs who work on these issues as well and some of these NGOs have people working on the ground in China, so they have access to information on the border areas. You have to interview North Koreans. Then also have to gather the information from the government agencies, ministries in Korea, the more information you get from different perspectives, the more you can verify the information you have and verification is crucial in an area where you cannot have open verification because you cannot enter North Korea and ask, “Is it true that you have detention camps?” or “Is it true that you have no trafficking in North Korea?” We don’t know that. We don’t have the direct way of verification which would be visiting the detection camps. We only have testimonies and interviews with the organizations who work with North Koreans to build on stories about what is going on in North Korea and in China.
Solutions?
Ongoing work, the NGO level, campaign and advocacy against the human rights abuses of North Korean children in various forms, one example would be the use of forced labor of children in detention facilities or trafficking girls into China and when you can do that by campaigning and by raising public awareness because you cannot directly work with the North Korean government. There are also other ways. We work with the UK government and we try to maintain a close dialogue with them too so when they have a dialogue with the North Korean government, they would bring up the issue of human rights violations. Another option available to us is working with other NGOs and within the coalition to develop a common vision within the EU, which is very similar to a statement that would be coming from the (UN) General Assembly or the commission on North Korea. Working with other governments to put pressure on the North Korean government is important so they can demand the North Korean government to be more transparent and to be responsible and to live up to, for example, the Convention on the Rights of Child.
Since when were you interested in the North Korean human rights issues?
In October 2004, personally, mother is Korean and I grew up in Seoul, so it was very interesting working at an NGO in London and I did research on it and brought the issue to my manager. They held a meeting and decided it was something they could work on, especially because we had no presence in East Asia so it was a good opportunity also having a person on their staff who can do interviews directly and not through an interpreter. It was accepted in the organization and I started working on it last February when I attended the conference on North Korean human rights.
What is your thought on the UN North Korean human rights resolution?
It is very positive that the world is taking the issue of North Korean human rights very seriously. So far, one of the strongest recommendations made was that the special rapporteur, Vitit Matarbhorn, be given access to visit North Korea, but that has not happened. This resolution coming to the level of the General Assembly is an even stronger readdressing of what came before from the Human Rights Commission. We are dealing with a very difficult situation so it is too early to say, “Well, it’s just another resolution”. We are heading in the right direction and we need to do these things because we have a responsibility to the people of North Korea, so we need to keep on working on it so the governments of North Korea and China as well as our own governments do the right thing.
Could you tell me about future plans of your activities?
I will stay a week and a half more after the conference to conduct further research on our second report on forced labor and detention camps in North Korea.
Thank you.
