Children have long been pillars of Myanmar’s economy, with many working as housecleaners, factory hands and shop assistants. But their role has come under increasing international scrutiny as the country opens up after five decades of military dictatorship...Since Myanmar began major economic and political reforms in 2011, more and more children have moved from the country’s rural areas to cities, he said. “A lot of shops and restaurants opened up in the cities, and they need a cheap and reliable labor force,” he said. “And a lot more people … have more disposable income, so they demand more services, which also requires more labor.”...A number of U.S. companies declined requests to visits to their sites. But Coca-Cola said its policy in Myanmar is to hire workers 18 or older. And the clothing retailer Gap said it “has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to child labor.”...Audits conducted by the international monitoring organization Verité “have not found evidence of child labor” at two factories used by Gap in Myanmar, according to a voluntary report the company filed with the State Department. But, the audits found, “Some personnel files did not contain proof of age verification” and “some age verification documents … showed signs of manipulation.”