Friday, March 29th 2024

Efforts should be made to eliminate violence and discrimination against women in Arakan State, women rights activists say



Narinjara News, March 10

Effective actions should be taken to eliminate violence and discrimination against women in all sectors in Arakan State, activists working for women rights said on the International Women’s Day which falls on 8 March.

Daw Saw San Nyein Thu, chairperson of Rakhine Women’s Initiative Organization said: “It largely depends on weak rule of law. We can protect women who face violence only when the relevant authorities deal with their complaints and take actions. At present, the stage of how to make a complaint itself has difficulties. It is in a position to commit violence as long as authorities cannot take legal actions against those who commit the cases.”

Legal actions about violence, discrimination, exploitation at work and sexual harassment against the women in Arakan State, remain weak, she said.

Women and underage children from the IDP camps in Arakan State which saw armed conflicts experienced sexual harassment, victims and news sources told the Narinjara.

More than 40 Muslim women from Phwaeyarkone IDP camp in Saythamargyi village-tract in Sittwe Township told the Narinjara said the in-charge of camp raped them.

From 2012 to 2 August, 2022, U Ous Phan Gawni, in-charge of Phweyarkone IDP camp threatened and raped 45 women such as married women, women with mental illness and underage girls, victims told the Narinjara.

The police have detained the man who is accused of raping and attempting to kill more than 40 women. The victims called for effective action against the accused.

During the armed conflicts in Arakan State, some women faced sexual violence. Some women made complaints. Most cases disappeared as most women did not dare to complain about their cases due to the various circumstances, according to the organizations working for women rights.

In Arakan State, relevant organizations are organizing vinyl campaigns and educative talks on the eradication of violence against women and human rights violations every year. However, the number of cases continues to rise.

In 2022, the number of complaints about violence against women and the women rights activities declined compared to those in the previous years due to the political situations, said lawyer Daw Mya Thu Zar, at a ceremony to mark the International Women’s Day held in Sittwe on 25 November.

Following the military coup, the country sees more violence against women amid the current political, social and economic crises.

Daw San San Nyein Thu said: “During the political crisis period, mostly women face robbery and coercion, labour exploitation, beating, violence and rapes. The current political, economic and social situations create the rights to coerce women.”

Women in Arakan State are facing the restrictions of human rights based on religion and custom including domestic violence, said Ma Saung Hnin Wai, a Kaman female youth.

“Every day, women face different kinds of oppressions and discrimination in my environment. I take faith in Islam. There are the rules on how the women put on their dresses and barring us from going outside. There is a tradition that we have to get married to the men agreed by the parents,” she added.

Women from the rural areas and the IDP camps especially face violence without knowing the fact that they themselves face violence as knowledge dissemination and laws are not within their reach, the women organizations said.

March 8 is 48th International Women’s Day. In late 1900, working-class women from developed countries from the west experienced economic exploitation, forced labour, lack of social benefits, political oppression and poverty.

In 1908, more than 15,000 took to the streets in New York of the United State, demanding women suffrage, designation of fair working hours and equal pay.

German delegate Clara Zetkin from the German Social Democratic Party proposed the establishment of an annual “Women’s Day”, at the International Socialist Women’s Conference was organized in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1910.

The 100 delegates, representing 17 countries, agreed with the idea as a strategy to promote equal rights, including women’s suffrage. The first International Women’s Day was marked on March 19, 1911.

The UN officially designated March 8 in 1975 as the International Women’s Day. Since then, women have been making demands for equal rights.

Photo by HI Burma

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