Discrimination against women: reports of violations in Shan State

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Title: Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN)
Description: "SWAN is a founding member of the Women's League of Burma (WLB), an umbrella women's organization comprising eleven women's groups from Burma. SWAN, through its affiliation with other women's organizations, establishes common platforms to promote the role of women from Burma in the struggle for democracy and human rights in their country. SWAN's objectives: * Promoting women's rights and the rights of children; * Opposing exploitation of and violence against women and children; * Working together for peace and freedom in our society; * Empowering women for a better life; * Raising awareness to preserve natural resources and the environment. Background of SWAN SWAN was set up on 28 March 1999 by a group of Shan women active in Thailand and along the Thai- Burma border seeking to address the needs of Shan women. In fact, before the formation of SWAN, Shan women in various locations had already been active in a number of projects to assist women. Even though informal networks were in place, it was felt that more could be achieved, in addressing both practical and strategic needs of Shan women, if a more concrete network among the various women could be formed. This Shan women's network would also be able to coordinate with other women's organizations from Burma, as well as GOs and NGOs working with women locally, nationally and internationally. General Background The Shan State is over 64,000 square kilometers in size and forms the eastern part of the Union of Burma bordering China, Laos and Thailand. The people of the Shan State, like in other areas of Burma, suffer from abuse inflicted by the Burmese military regime, which according to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Asia is amongst the worst in the world. The abuse inflicted on the Shan people by the Burmese military has forced many people to flee for their lives to Thailand. The Thai government, however, does not recognize the Shan people as refugees and unlike the Karen and Karenni refugees, has not allowed them to set up refugees camps along the Thai-Burmese border. Consequently the Shans are forced to enter Thailand illegally, which leaves them extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Despite this, Shan people are still coming to take refuge in Thailand. The estimated number of Shans working illegally in Thailand is at least 300,000. Among them are many girls and young women who have been trafficked into Thai brothels, where they face a wide range of abuse including sexual and other physical violence, debt bondage, exposure to HIV/AIDS, forced labor without payment and illegal confinement..." Reports, programmes etc.
Source/publisher: Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN)
Date of entry/update: 2003-03-31
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Title: Woman Killed in Another Kyaukme Tea Farm Landmine Accident
Description: "A landmine explosion on a tea farm killed a woman and injured her husband this week in Kyaukme Township. The couple—Nang Nguen and Sai Thein—accidentally set off the concealed landmine while picking tea in Mont Mart village of Khim Kawng village tract in Mong Ngor sub-township at around 3:00 p.m. on October 9. “They live in a hilltop village. They stepped on a landmine while they were picking tea leaves,” Mong Ngor local Lon Sai told SHAN. Lon Sai said that Nang Nguen endured serious injuries to her legs and died on the way to the hospital. Sai Thein’s hand was wounded in the blast. The mine explosions are becoming an increasingly common danger, he added. “Whenever people go to the tea leaf farms, they can step on landmines. I don’t know what we will do if we cannot work to pick tea in this area. There are many landmines,” Lon Sai explained. Multiple armed groups are active in Kyaukme Township, including the Burma Army, the Restoration Council of Shan State and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Clashes are frequent..."
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Source/publisher: "Shan Herald Agency for News" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-10-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Title: Kachin State and Northern Shan State, Burma
Description: ''According to a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) report, the Burma Army captured, tortured, raped, and killed six Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) female medics on July 11 after the Burma Army ambushed vehicles carrying the medics. The Burma Army also killed one TNLA soldier in the onset of the attack, and another TNLA soldier and two civilians fled the Burma Army assault against the two timber trucks that transported the group. Burma Army Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 301 under Light Infantry Division (LID) 88 ambushed the vehicles as they traveled from Magwe Baw Bum to Oi Law Village in Namkham Township. The medics were captured around 1330 on the 11th, and their bodies were discovered near a pipeline outside of Oi Law Village on July 14 with severe wounds to two of the medics’ heads, multiple cut wounds on their bodies and signs of mutilation and rape...''
Date of publication: 1970-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2018-12-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Title: Rape: The Burma Army?s unpunished weapon of war
Description: "In October 2016, amid renewed violence in Rakhine state, it was reported that ?dozens” of women had been raped by Burma/Myanmar army soldiers.The story shocked international media and the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict called on the Government to conduct an investigation into the alleged incidents. However, the Burma/Myanmar army has long used rape as a weapon of war, especially against Burma?s/Myanmar?s ethnic nationalities. Despite the hundreds of rapes that have been recorded by Burma?s/Myanmar?s NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs), no member of Burma?s/Myanmar?s government forces has ever been punished for committing rape or sexual violence. This is because under Burma?s/Myanmar?s 2008 Constitution the army gifted itself immunity from the country?s laws, meaning allegations of rape are only investigated internally by the army, if at all..."
Source/publisher: Network for Human Rights Documentation ? Burma
Date of publication: 2016-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2018-04-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 278.97 KB
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Title: Killing, Gang-rapge and forced relocation in Shan State - Shan Human Rughts Foundation Monthly Report for January 2012
Description: Commentary: No Right to Life, Liberty and Security of Person... Rape and killing in Kun-Hing... Extrajudicial killing in Murng-Yai... Extrajudicial killing in Tang-Yarn... Random shelling kills 4 monks, damages a monastery, in Murng-Su... Women detained and gang-raped for 5 days, causing death, in Tang-Yarn... Gang-Rape, beating, forced labour and extortion, in Kun-Hing... Random shooting, severe beating, cultural discrimination, in Kun-Hing... Severe beating, causing serious injuries, in Murng-Nai... A displaced villager severely beaten in Murng-Sart... Civilian porters severely beaten up, forced to stay in the rain all night, in Murng-Kerng... Beating of farming couple in Murng-Kerng... Forced relocations of Lahu communities in Murng-Sart
Source/publisher: Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF)
Date of entry/update: 2015-10-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: [Killing, torture, rape, arbitrary detention, beating, destruction of crops, Robbery and extortion in Shan State] - Shan Human Rights Foundation Monthly Newsletter, January 2010
Description: Commentary... Villagers arbitraily arrested, tortured and killed, in Lai-Kha... Rape in Murng-Kerng... Severe beating, causing loss of consciousness, in Kun-Hing... Beating and forced portering in Murng-Kerng... Extortion for construction of state infrastructure, in Murng-Ton.. Looting and destruction of villagers? crops, in Kun-Hing... Money repeatedly extorted for funeral rites, villagers harassed, in Lai-Kha... Extortion for religious and social activities, in Kaeng-Tung... Extortion and land confiscation for road construction, forcible military training, in Murng-Paeng... Money extorted from motorcycle owners in Kun-Hing.
Source/publisher: Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF)
Date of publication: 2010-01-00
Date of entry/update: 2013-01-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Poisoned Flowers: The Impacts of Spiraling Drug Addiction on Palaung Women in Burma,
Description: "?Poisoned Flowers: The Impacts of Spiraling Drug Addiction on Palaung Women in Burma?, based on interviews with eighty-eight wives and mothers of drug addicts, shows how women in Palaung areas have become increasingly vulnerable due to the rising addiction rates. Already living in dire poverty, with little access to education or health care, wives of addicts must struggle single-handedly to support as many as ten children. Addicted husbands not only stop providing for their families, but also sell off property and possessions, commit theft, and subject their wives and children to repeated verbal and physical abuse. The report details cases of women losing eight out of eleven children to disease and of daughters being trafficked by their addicted father. The increased addiction rates have resulted from the regime allowing drug lords to expand production into Palaung areas in recent years, in exchange for policing against resistance activity and sharing drug profits. The collapse of markets for tea and other crops has driven more and more farmers to turn to opium growing or to work as labourers in opium fields, where wages are frequently paid in opium. The report throws into question claims by the regime and the UNODC of a dramatic reduction of opium production in Burma during the past decade, and calls on donor countries and UN agencies supporting drug eradication programs in Burma to push for genuine political reform..."
Source/publisher: Palaung Women?s Organization
Date of publication: 2006-06-09
Date of entry/update: 2006-06-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 631.56 KB
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