At the end of April, a mother sold her one-year-old baby girl for a low price to help pay for medical expenses for her own mother who is gravely ill, a source from Karen State said. Recently, her husband, the father of the baby died; left alone, without support, the mother sold her child to pay for the medical expenses.

The Karen mother is 21-years-old from Beelin Township, Mon state and her baby girl, Ei Ei Khaing is now in the care of a Mon family, said a young Mon woman from, Kyon Phe southern Karen State. Local Mon villagers suspected her of child trafficking.

According to Ms. Mi Jarainon of Women and Child Rights Project of Southern Burma based on the Thailand-Burma border, some orphaned children were picked up by traffickers and sold in Mon State.

“The woman sold her own baby girl to my villager for 30,000 Kyats note (about 30 US),” the woman said.  “If the baby was her own I think she would have thought twice about asking for a low price.”

Meanwhile, there are many ethnic Karen nationals who live in the Ayeyarwaddy delta that was hit by cyclone Nargis last May. Some survivals unable to regain their livelihoods migrated to the two states looking for work then headed on into Thailand to search for employment.

Tropical cyclone Nargis hit the Ayeyarwaddy delta, a vast area that measures approximately 411,000 km², and killed nearly 140,000 people.  While the generals were lambasted for holding back aid, the world has donated very little to Burma compared to the tsunami natural disaster that struck countries around the Indian Ocean. Many thousands of children have been left without parents and have to fend for themselves and their siblings with many suffering from trauma and poor health. In addition, approximately 500,000 people are still without adequate shelter with nearly 200,000 children living out in the open.

The Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan, a 3-year strategic framework set up by the international community to raise funds, need 700 million dollars to provide shelter and schooling for the children and their families, however very little money has been raised.