Women Against Violence
Since 2005, the Women Against Violence Program has organized hundreds of community discussions and open dialogue sessions in ethnic areas inside Burma and around its borders. These exchanges bring between 3,000 -4,000 men and women together per year to discuss violence against women and how to end the cycle of violence in their communities. In many areas these discussions were the first time the issue of Domestic Violence had been addressed publicly.
The WAV program provides practical assistance to victims of violence against women in areas inside Burma and along its borders where women experience high levels of violence and a severe lack of resources and assistance. WLB provides a wide variety of services to these women including counseling, negotiation and mediation with abusive partners, medical expense coverage, hospital referrals, safe houses, hospital visits, home visits, providing food, shelter, and crisis assistance, and legal assistance. WLB has established two safe houses, one in New Delhi, India and anther in Mae Sot, Thailand that serve as temporary shelters where women who have suffered domestic abuse can receive practical assistance, counseling, and other services.
Raising awareness is an essential element of the WAV program. To this end, the program organizes activities for Stop Violence Against Women Day, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday, and International Women’s Day. Documentation and reporting is another critical part of the WAV program. The Program routinely collects women’s stories and data on violence against women and produces reports based on these careful assessments. These reports include a CEDAW Shadow Report in 2008, music videos, TV productions, publications, and audio-visual materials used to raise awareness about VAW.
WAV program is continuing to raise awareness about gender-based violence in communities in Thailand, China and India. To reach our goals more effectively, WLB has begun to shift its focus inside Burma.In 2011, WAV focused efforts on Kachin IDPs along China border and Karen IDPs along Thai border.
For more details about its history, visit here.
Latest news
Rape of 10 year old girl causes outrage
HPRUSO—The rape of a 10-year-old girl in Hpruso, near Loikaw in Kayah State, has caused outrage and demonstrations in response to ongoing sexual violations in the district due to the close proximity of a military camp based nearby. Protestors have used this incident to call for severe punishment for the perpetrators of these violent crimes and…
History of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (in Burmese)
Read now (pdf) For other ethnic languages, see WAV's 2005…
Standpoint, Viewpoint (in Burmese)
Guidelines for women's organizations to conduct regional consultations with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women By: Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development Read now…
‘Stop VAW’ song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNGKFyCVRIg…
Ending Impunity
Date: 19 June 2009 Language: English, Burmese Watch now English Burmese: Part I|Part II Women of Burma Call for UNSC action on Regime’s use of Rape as a Weapon of War and Crimes Against Humanity in Burma The Women’s League of Burma is today launching a ten-minute video “Ending Impunity” and calling for UNSC action on the…