WUNRN
BURMA/MYANMAR - WOMEN'S GROUPS
CONDEMN SEXUAL VIOLENCE BY ARMY, IN KACHIN STATE
ByFebruary 4, 2013
Women
and children take shelter as they flee fighting in
Thirty-one
ethnic women’s groups in
The
groups released a joint statement on Sunday saying that the government has
ignored not only the Geneva Convention governing the conduct of war, but also a
treaty that forbids discrimination against women in any form.
The
groups made the statement after finishing a workshop on peace-building and conflict
transformation in
The
statement read: “We call for special care and priority to be given to the
protection of civilians, especially women and children. This is in compliance
with the spirit and content of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, 1674, the
Geneva Convention and the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW), to which
“We
call for an immediate end to the ongoing intense offensives in Kachin state,”
read the statement.
Speaking
with The Irrawaddy on Monday,
Susanna Hla Hla Soe, the general secretary of the Rangoon-based Karen Women’s
Action Group, said that
“Kachin
women representatives who attended the workshop emotionally expressed their
sadness and concern about how women and girls are suffering from ill
treatment. I was very sad to hear their terrible stories of sexual violence,
such as gang rape against women and girls,” said Hla Hla Soe.
“
The
women’s groups, who represented Karen, Kachin, Shan, Arakanese, Mon, Karenni
and other ethnic minorities, also called for the inclusion of ethnic women’s
civil society organizations in all aspects of peace processes undertaken by the
government and ethnic organizations.
The
women’s groups also urged international donors to support their efforts to end
not only war, but also violence and other forms of discrimination against
women.
“We
urge donor organizations supporting