MIZZIMA : Burma Women's Struggle in (r)

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Subject: MIZZIMA : Burma Women's Struggle in Exile

Burma women's struggle in exile 

By: Soe Myint
MIZZIMA News Group

"When I was in Burma, I never heard of international women day or women
rights movement. I realized only when after some years in exile in India
that women from other countries are struggling like us too", said Nu Nu
Nge, a 23-year old woman from Burma. She has been living in India as a
political refugee since 1992. She is one of the hundreds of women from
Burma, who left the country after the massacre of peaceful demonstrators
by the military in 1988. 

It has been now more than 10 years that these pro-democracy activists from
Burma are living in India. Like their counter-parts in other countries of
the world, they have maintained their activism by holding regular
demonstrations in front of Burmese (military junta's) embassy in New
Delhi, publishing periodical magazines and pamphlets on Burma to promote
awareness among the international community about their struggle.

Currently, about 100 women and girls out of 500 refugees from Burma are
staying in New Delhi under the mandate of United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR). Over the years, many of these women got married with
fellow Burmese activists while in India. They continue to participate in
the activities of the political movement for the restoration of democracy
and human rights in their homeland. 

However, being a wife in the exiled political movement is not easy. "There
are many difficulties for a woman here. If she is a housewife, she has to
look after the children, household and quite difficult to continue to be
active in the movement", said Nu Nu Nge.

"In Burma, girls are not encouraged to continue their studies after they
learnt how to read and write. Most of the girls in rural areas go to work
in the paddy field after they passed 5th or 6th standard in high school.
Very few go to college", said Ye Ye who comes from Chin State of Burma.
She is now in India working as President of Chin Women Organization (CWO).
Thousands of Chin women and girls cross the border areas and enter into
Mizoram State of India to escape political and economic hardships under
the Burmese army battalions in Chin State. 

"We believe that women rights are also human rights. We are seen as human
beings but we are not treated as equal human beings", said Thin Thin Aung,
General Secretary of Women Rights and Welfare Association of Burma

(WRWAB), which was formed in 1995 by the India-based Burmese women and
girls. "We want to encourage Burmese girls and women to be more active in
politics by promoting their living conditions and equipping them with
necessary knowledge and skills", said Thin Thin Aung.

However, their fight for their rights is challenged by the existing
patriarchal notion that exists even among the democrats in exile.

"Even among our pro-democracy activists, many husbands do not want their
wives to be active in political activities. They prefer their wives to be
at home doing household works only", continued Ye Ye. 

In November last year, all the exiled women organizations from Burma,
which are scattered in neighbouring countries of Burma got together for
the first time in Chaing Mai in Thailand. 32 women activists from 16 women
organizations belonging to different nationalities of Burma got the
opportunity to share their experiences. Many women activists in the
meeting found out that their counterparts have similar sufferings and
experiences under the existing system in Burma. 

Apart from maltreatment and discrimination against women in the society,
Burmese women and girls are faced with constant danger of being raped,
forcibly located, and forced laboured by the army officers, particularly
in the border areas of the country. The women organizations decided to
work together to promote health, educational, social conditions of women
from Burma and to fight for greater participation of women in the
decision-making apparatuses of the society.

For the first time, a joint statement of seven exiled women organizations
from Burma was issued for the International Women's Day on March 8th 1999.
The statement deplores the Burmese government's sponsored "Myanmar Women
Affairs Committee" that it does not represent the interest of women from
Burma. 

"It is unable to solve the deepening problems of women in Burma; women who
are forcibly located, women who are forced to take refuge illegally in
neighbouring countries, displaced women who are struggling for their
safety and survival, pregnant women who suffered ugly deaths during the
fighting and women who were raped by soldiers of the (military) junta",
said the statement.

The statement further pledged their fight for the fall of military
dictatorship and emergence of democracy and human rights in Burma.


Date : 7th March 1999
To contact : 91-11-7115491