By Nadia Buhna
Burma, the once feudal society, colonized by the British Empire in the late 19th century, became independent in 1948. Soon after gaining independence, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (another name used for the country) was plunged into a decades-long civil war as a result of a military coup in 1962. The year 2008 brought the Burmese constitutional reform leading to a general election in 2010 in which the military-backed administration of President Thein Sein took power replacing the military junta. Claims that the elections were neither free nor fair were made by national and international bodies. The April 2012 result of the by elections in Burma, however, is a promising sign of a successful pro democracy movement in the country as National League for Democracy, led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won 43 of 44 Parliament seats contested. This political shift is deemed to lead to a dramatic change in the scheduled elections for 2015.
Over half of a century of military rule in Burma has resulted in a deeply rooted military culture in the country. Crimes of violence and oppression such as forced labour, human trafficking, torture, extortion, confiscation of property are common stories of the Burmese people. Particularly victimized, however, are the women in Burma’s ethnic groups who are atrociously oppressed, abused, and demoralized by the military through a systematic sexualized violation. This appalling widespread violence is employed as a tool of war, the ultimate goal of it being to gain control of property and resources of diverse ethnic groups.
“Under Myanmar law, there is no discrimination against women in any form whatsoever. They are protected against all forms of discrimination.” stated the Initial report of States parties by CEDAW, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. Since Myanmar has become a CEDAW State party in 1997, the country has been maintaining a continuous dialogue with the Committee through a series of reports. The most recent one, published on September 13th, 2011, was a response by Myanmar to CEDAW´s recommendations. Regarding violence against women, the report outlined the actions taken by the government to prevent, protect, and prosecute. Reality in Burma, however, proves that these actions are far from being successful in eradicating violence against women.
An overview of both national and international campaigns, initiatives, and actions taken to tackle violence against women in Burma reveals a set of solutions that fall under the three Ps: prevention, protection, and prosecution. Following are just a few start-up solutions with a long term effect that are needed to initiate change.
An immediately effective step towards elimination of the issue would be for the government to eradicate the military license to rape by placing the military inside the purview of the civilian courts and remove the present amnesty provision precluding the prosecution of military perpetrators of crimes.
Health and survival is the first basic need to be provided to women. Furthermore, education and employment is the logical combination of experience needed to empower women and ultimately encourage them to aim high. For this solution to thrive, support of legislation on equal opportunities in both school and work is needed. Encouraging enrolment in primary school and maintaining coherence to secondary school are the first steps towards a successful cycle of education for women. Furthermore, while reforming the curriculum in relevance to both genders, a complementary shift in ‘national culture’ through educating the community that, like men, women are entitled to being given the choice to succeed as intellectuals, professionals and, ultimately, leaders is a key factor. Once on the job market, strong implementation of legislation on equal opportunities such as free choices of profession, equal pay and benefits, equality in hiring and promotion is a necessary mechanism to create real opportunity for women. In addition to investment in women’s education and economic participation, inclusion in the decision-making process is necessary to allow women to contribute with their entire potential.
For Burma to successfully continue its democratic reform, an inclusive and legitimate state must become its aspiration as through union can peace and welfare be attained. Successful peace building will naturally decrease violence of all types, including violence against women, and facilitate the successful implementation of reforms aiming to ultimately eradicate violence against women. Furthermore, as women make up for one half of the human capital, empowerment of women in education, economy and politics is a crucial part of the future of economic development of any country, Burma being no exception to the rule.
More information on the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence: http://www.stoprapeinconflict.org/
Nadia Buhna is a graduate of a Master in Int’l Relations, Nadia is currently working in the public engagement sector in Dublin, Ireland. Her interests are International Affairs, Human Rights and Enterprises with Social Impact.
