Uniqueness of Myanmar Social Welfare Model
Chapter 1
Introduction
Myanmar Ministry of Community Welfare, Comfort and Resettlement was establish in the entire year 1953 and the government take the duties of many cultural welfare activities and also keep growing, in close collaboration with may United Nations companies and international Non-governmental organization. Nowadays, US agencies, Federal government Organizations and both local and international NGOs are carrying out the social welfare services in Myanmar in addition to the government social welfare departments.
The division was created 5 years through the parliamentary democratic authorities era immediately after the country independent from the United kingdom colonial. After that as the Myanmar goes through for many changing of the government authorities, such as democratic authorities, socialist authorities and armed forces junta therefore the social welfare model of Myanmar is also changing from one government to some other. It really is of great interest for public work field to review what's the interpersonal welfare model that Myanmar is doing.
In such a paper, I will make an effort to discuss whether the Myanmar social welfare model can be discussed by either Richard Titmuss models or Esping-Anderson models or blend or different from both. In section 2, I'd like to do the literature review upon different definitions and models of sociable welfare in this section. In chapter 3, I'd like to clarify some information about the Sociable Welfare in Myanmar and make an effort to identify which social welfare model can explain the practice. Chapter 4 will consist of the important of understanding Myanmar sociable welfare model and possible applicability of the latest models of which might be suitable to country situation and culture so the welfare services provides a lot more efficiency towards the community.
Chapter 2
Literature Review
2. 1. Definitions of Community Welfare
"Friendly welfare includes those nonprofit functions of population, general population or voluntary, that are clearly aimed at alleviating distress and poverty or at ameliorating the conditions of the casualties of society"(R Dolgoff & Feldstein, (2007).
The another description is "all cultural interventions designed to enhance or keep up with the social functioning of human beings"(R. Dolgoff, Feldstein, & Skolnik, 1997).
The Country wide Association of Social Work (NASW) described "Social Welfare as the entire range of prepared activities of voluntary and governmental agencies that seek to prevent, alleviate, or contribute to the perfect solution is of recognized communal problems, or even to increase the well-being of individuals, groups, or communities". (NASW, 1971)
United Nations defined "Sociable welfare as an sorted out function is regarded as a body of activities designed to enable individuals, young families, groups and neighborhoods to cope with the cultural problems of changing conditions. In addition to and extending beyond the number of its responsibilities for specific services, sociable welfare has a further function within the wide-ranging portion of a country's social development". "Social welfare should play a major role in contributing to the effective mobilization and deployment of individuals and material sources of the united states to deal successfully with the cultural requirements of change, in that way participating in nation-building". (US 1967)
2. 2. The latest models of of communal welfare
Richard Titmuss (1970) introduced 3 types of social welfare which include residual model, industrial-achievement model and institutional model.
In residual model, it is charity and providing assistance in aspect and the provision of social service is situated after selective either by mean trials or eligibility criteria. So, people can be socially stigmatized for the individuals who are receiving the public welfare services. The ideology of the rest of the model is dependant on the individual is responsible for trying to meet the market market and the welfare status is something to be avoided.
In professional achievement model, it mainly focuses on the individualist after meritocratic and the provision is after the individual merit. Hence, the type of communal welfare service is similar to workfare. Within a meritocracy, population rewards (via wealth, position, and cultural position) those who show ability and competence as exhibited by past activities or by competition. There is no social stigma and the welfare is upon the individuals self-responsibility.
In institutional model, Sociable welfare sometimes appears as a standard and "legitimate function of society" (R. Dolgoff, et al. , 1997). There is absolutely no stigma in this approach as it is undoubtedly the right of citizenship and the majority of the programs are common no more selective.
Again, on the other palm, Esping-Anderson (1990) proposed that there is another three types of model namely conventional model, liberal model and cultural democratic model which are actually equivalent to the Richard Titmuss (1970) 3 models of residual model, industrial-achievement model and institutional model respectively. The residual and industrial achievement models are similar in objecting high welfare.
Table 1: Justification of different models from different perspectives and the countries that are currently practices
Richard Titmuss Model
Residual
Industrial Achievement
Institutional
Esping-Anderson Model
Conservative
Liberal
Social Democratic
Practising Country
France, Germany, Austria
UK, USA, Australia
Sweden, Denmark, Norway
Nature
Charity, assistance
Workfare
Citizen right
Basis of provision
Selective (e. g. means test, eligibility)
Individual merit
Universal entitlement
Social stigma
May bring stigma
Self-responsibility
No stigma
Ideology
Free market, individual responsibility
Individualist, Meritocratic
Collectivist, State responsibility
Government Role
Non-intervention
Non-intervention
Intervention
Chapter 3
Myanmar Community Welfare at a glance
3. 1. Backdrop of Myanmar Ministry of Social Welfare(YCDC, 2003)
In Myanmar, the cultural welfare services are given either from the government department, the department of cultural welfare or directly from UN, INGO and NGO services towards the city and vulnerable people. But still, as the federal government is military services junta, every service either from the government or from the agencies need the federal government official agreement in previous to any activities/services.
When looking at the Ministry level, it includes instituted three departments, the cultural welfare department, fireplace services department and relief and resettlement office.
As well as the three departments, the government has designated the Ministry of Public welfare, Pain relief and Resettlement as three nationwide focal points Myanmar national Committee for women's affairs, Country wide Committee on the Protection under the law of the Childs Myanmar and National Committee on Social Development.
Public Welfare in Myanmar said that they aim at assisting towards a mutual adjustment of prone and their sociable environment. The ministry has the following objectives of communal welfare:
1. To assist the vulnerable teams in order to reintegrate in to the society through interpersonal work methods.
2. To resettle and rehabilitate victims of disasters.
3. To make our country clear of fire risk.
4. To encourage the non-governmental organizations to take part in national activity for public development.
5. To teach and form the fireplace service employees and voluntary fire-men to become the reserve drive to safeguard peace and balance of their state.
As well as the above aims, the followings will be the adopted coverage of the Ministry.
1. Equalization of opportunities fore vulnerable group in Myanmar society.
2. The federal government attaches a high priority to the welfare of children, youngsters, women, nationwide races surviving in the disabled, the older, socially handicapped and disadvantaged organizations.
3. In charge of rendering pain relief and resettlement services to subjects of natural disasters such as earthquakes, storms, floods and fireplace disasters.
The Union of Myanmar has also promulgated laws to guarantee the rights and protect the Resident. Among the laws and regulations three are some basis lawful restrictions which are directly concerned with Department of Social Welfare (DSW) to execute Social welfare programmes and then for the safeguard of the socially handicapped individuals. These laws and regulation are Prostitution Suppression Work, 1949, Disabled Persons Employment Action, 1958 and The Child Rules, 1993 under basic rules. There's also 3 other related legislations present which are Enrollment of Kittima Adoption Advertising, 1941. , Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Connection Law (MMCWA), 1991 and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Chemical law, 1993.
The DSW implements cultural welfare services in eight different areas of public needs by both direct and indirect means. The various types of public welfare services includes child welfare service, young ones welfare service, women welfare service, attention of the aged, treatment of disabled, treatment of ex-drug lovers, treatment and socialization of Vagrants and grant-in-aid to voluntary Corporation.
Relating to local needs and situations, the contribution of sociable services has been made by the Non-governmental corporation (NGOs) with the collaboration of community. At present, with the encouragement of the federal government there's been abundance of NGOs in Myanmar national as well as international NGOs.
Myanmar National Committee for Women's Affairs (MNCWA) was formed on 3 July 1996, to execute activities for the growth of women systematically. Eventually, the Myanmar Country wide Working Committee for Women's Affair (MNWCWA) was created on 7 Oct 1996, to accomplish the activities. The government also selected the Ministry of Sociable welfare, Alleviation and Resettlement as the Country wide Focal Point for Women's Affairs.
Myanmar has acceded to the convention on the Protection under the law of the Child in 1991 and the Child Regulation was enacted in 1993. The National Committee on the Protection under the law of the kid (NCRC) was shaped in Oct 1993, going by the Minister of Social Welfare.
The Division is implementing communal development programmes in collaboration with the Asia and Pacific as well as ASEAN member countries.
In addition to the above services provided by Ministry of Public Welfare, the division is also involved in conducting the Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work which was recently were only available in 2006. Previously there is absolutely no social work training in the united states even although objective #1 1 of Ministry which include providing the assistance with sociable work methods. This course is funded by UNICEF, joint with Team of Sociable Welfare and Team of Psychology (Yangon School).
3. 2. Examination of the Myanmar Friendly Welfare Model
Even thought the ministry create the objectives, we can found out that they did not have clear objective after how to help and offer services towards susceptible and oppressed people. And also the coverage and the aims are only at the plan level and never reach to the execution level. The staffs from the department of cultural welfare are civil servants and they are not motivated at all because of their low pay salary no learning opportunities for his or her services.
The type of the Myanmar Social Welfare is mixed in aspect as the government did not provide the direct services to the people. The services are coming generally from the UN/INGO/NGO plus some community based organizations with in conditions of charity and humanitarian assistance. Despite the fact that the Government claimed that the services are universal to all but still far away from the real coverage as there is no citizen rights by any means in the country.
The basis of provision of cultural welfare either universal or selective is also rely upon in the task arrangement with the donor organizations and their money insurance policy. Compulsary education of up to 5th class is funded by Unicef so that it is universal to all the children of the country. Universal immunization programme (UCI) and expanded program for immunization (EPI) are funded by Unicef, JICA, Japan Vaccines, AusAid so all the children under 5 years received the all the vaccinations under the health programme free.
But on the other palm, in public cover, it is not provided to public. The federal government provided and then the federal government civil servants but even not all the civil servants received the real estate. Only the higher level officials received the general public cover. But all the armed forces servants have the public property. So, we can term it as highly selective with bias and might not term it as public welfare service.
Communal security is also received only the civil servants especially on the military services servants and the federal government did not take into account of the general public or community. The government health care is cost posting in nature and all the patients need to provide the cost of the medications and diagnostic and laboratory charges. The other charges such as doctors' fees, nurses' fees, room fees are free when they are accepted to the federal government hospitals.
There's a department called Medical Sociable Work section in the majority of the big medical center but they are forget about functioning whatsoever now. They just present as a one of the mandatory structure for the hospital. The staffs are also not trained by proper sociable work techniques if the patient is too poor to choose the required medications or something, they can contact to the medical social employee. When there is any money, donated by anybody, exists in this medical communal work team, they provided to the poor patient. If not, they cannot provide any support and it is some form of charity established assistance.
Family, children and young ones services are based mostly upon the domestic care procedure as the department of public welfare has many training academic institutions for young ones, children and even for females. Actually, these training colleges are the same as the detention centre or good care centre rather than all the junior and children remaining there are allowed to go out of this so called training institution. There is no proper service arranging providing towards family assault and child mistreatment even though there are high rate of such conditions inside the united states. As the federal government accede the UNCRC, plus they formed National CRC, status and divisional CRC and even township CRC all over the country but each one of these are not working at all.
There are a few government owned or operated NGO (GONGO) such as Myanmar maternal and child welfare association (MMCWA) and Myanmar Women Affairs Federation (MWAF) nevertheless they are also only the political figures and assisting towards some circumstances of family violence, gender based assault (GBV) and child abuse but because they are also not trained interpersonal workers in their company, the assistance that they provided are also like materials supports based upon the charity and humanitarian assistance approach. There is no systematically helping on the vulnerable.
Among the important the different parts of the communal welfare services, older people services are also provided by INGO/NGO mainly. The federal government provide very small sum of money and official registration to these home for aged. The section of sociable welfare didn't have any home care facilities into the aged.
Sociable services provided towards impairment peoples and rehabilitation service is also one of the poor areas in Myanmar. The rehabilitation is mainly towards disable from the armed forces servants who has lost their hip and legs credited to mine in the frontiers. INGO/NGO are actually trying to work at the community centered rehabilitation programme with the permission of the federal government.
Lots of the community development are planned and implemented by the UN/INGO/NGO and government Ministry of Improvement of Boundary Areas and National Races and Development Affairs. But this government ministry is principally focused after the materials development such as street, bridges etc and not emphasize on the people and interpersonal capital development.
You will find no specialised services or organizations doing work for the ex-prisoner or offender. The government has correctional department under the ministry of Home Affairs which is also known as division of prisons. After the offender release from the prison, there is no follow up or communal welfare services towards them. And also there is absolutely no agencies working upon these individuals.
There is merely one training school for the whole country where all the juvenile delinquent are detained and provided the correctional training. Still the staffs allocated in this training institution are not trained social personnel.
There is absolutely no social stigma upon receiving the interpersonal welfare services and even the people are pleased with receiving the social welfare service assistance because very few individuals received these services.
Administration ideology upon interpersonal welfare is to help make the social control after the community. The government did not applying services or even not they carried out, they aren't efficiently applied. They did unnecessary intervention towards policy upon the providing the assistance by the agencies.
Chapter 4
Conclusion
Based on the situational evaluation of the public welfare services within the country Myanmar, the existing model that the government implementing is not either residual or industrial accomplishment or institutional model. And in addition there is absolutely no specific model because the office will the services at random basic depending after the project proposed by the UN/INGO/NGO. Because of the ruling by the military services junta, the team of interpersonal welfare didn't have budget for their welfare services so the office stands only as a focal point/liaison between the agencies and the federal government. And the majority of the agencies need to supply the services under the name of the office of interpersonal welfare.
On finish, it is difficult to recognize what's the public welfare style of Myanmar currently. However the country is in the move stage from armed service junta to the multi-party election in the year 2010. And the overall constitution has already been drawn but nonetheless specific procedures and rules will set up in the next newly elected administration. So, most of us hope that you will see a proper model for Myanmar social welfare in the side of new federal government.
Dolgoff, R. , & Feldstein, D. ((2007). Understanding Public Welfare: A Seek out Justice (7th ed. ). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Dolgoff, R. , Feldstein, D. , & Skolnik, L. (1997). Examining a interpersonal welfare program: Structural components, different program characteristics, and evaluation (4th ed. ). NY: Longman.
NASW. (1971). Encyclopedia of Social Work (Vol. II).
YCDC. (2003). Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.
