Women’s right

High profile women, including actress Dame Judi Dench and actress Gillian Anderson, have put their names to a document calling on action to stop the sexual assault and rape of women in Burma. The pledge, which was released to mark International Women’s Day, called for: 1. An investigation into rape and sexual violence by the Burmese military against ethnic women…

Of three new union level committees set up after the ceasefire agreement was signed, only three out of 96 members are women. None are from the government. YANGON (Myanmar Now) – Women have been consistently excluded from Myanmar’s peace negotiations and their continued absence could undermine the success of the talks aimed at ending long-running ethnic conflicts that have displaced…

Karen women commemorated International Women’s Day by paying tribute to the many women who fought for justice and equality. Naw Marry Htay, chairperson of Karen Women Organization Dooplaya district spoke to Karen News about what the day meant to her. “On this special day, I would like to say that it is important [the ability of] our women are recognized.…

This week, which marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the women of Burma reiterated their call for an international investigation to look into the continuing use of rape and sexual violence against women in Burma, and address the issue of military impunity. The situation since the so-called reform process began is no different from before…

Alarm is mounting over a suit of newly proposed laws regarding marriage and religion, proposed by a group allegedly connected to the extremist Buddhist nationalist ‘969’ movement, with international rights watchdogs and community groups alike warning that they discriminate against minorities and could further inflame inter-communal violence. Burma’s government is currently considering four laws related to marriage, religion, polygamy and…

A wide and diverse range of women groups and civil society organisations have released the following statement on the government’s draft Interfaith Marriage Law. Karen News have taken the decision to run the full statement to generate debate and understanding in the community of the issues involved. *Statement of Women’s Groups and CSOs on preparation of draft Interfaith Marriage Law…

The Karen Women Organization held ceremonies on April 5 marking its 29th anniversary in locations in Karen State and along the Thai Burma border. The KWO used its anniversary to draw attention to the status of women’s legal protection, the need to respect women and the need to promote women’s role in the peace process. The KWO released a report…

Two leading Karen Women’s groups, the Karen Women’s Organisation and the Karen Women’s Empowerment Group (KWEG) have urged Burma’s reformist government to improve women’s rights in the country as the world marks international women’s day, arguing that peace could not be reached without respect for women’s rights. ”Lasting peace in Burma cannot be achieved without justice for the women of…

In an interview with Karen News, Nan Dah Eh Kler, Chairperson of the Karen Women Organization (KWO), argued that the Burma’s Government’s reform process was being undermined by a culture of impunity and sexual violence in the Burma Army. Referring to a report released by the Women’s League of Burma (WLB), which documented over 100 cases of sexual violence committed…

More than 100 women and girls have been raped by Burma’s military since 2010, according to a report released by the Women’s League of Burma. The Thailand-based Women’s Leaugue of Burma (WLB) said in a report released today that 47 of the cases documented were gang rapes and 28 of the women were either killed or later died of their…