Burma's Kachin Face Human Trafficking Threat Along Chinese Border (VIDEO)

By Lusha Chen for the Pulitzer Center

The decades-long conflict between the Burmese government and Kachin Independence Army, members of a minority group, has “created a perfect storm for human trafficking along the China-Burma border,” according to a report released by Kachin Women's Association Thailand.

Since 2010, some 10,000 people have been driven to the Chinese border and now live in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. They cannot seek help as refugees because the Chinese government refuses to become involved. Kachin women who live near the border suffer dual risks—exposed both to fighting and human trafficking. In this video Boston University student fellow Lusha Chen shows us women who have been trafficked, some who have escaped, and one who helps victims re-adjust to a new life.

Lusha Chen studied broadcast journalism at Boston University. She traveled to Burma on a grant from the Pulitzer Center.