An interview with a spokesperson of the Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO) about the 16-day campaign after the military coup and the severity of violence against women.
A 16-day campaign, the white ribbon movement, was held from November 25th to December 10th Human Rights Day as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women every year.
We interviewed the spokesperson of the Taang Women’s Organization (TWO) about how they are doing about the 16-day campaign after the military coup? What are the challenges? How bad is violence against women? And the extent to which women and children are harmed in the current ” Operation 1027 “.
Q: Currently, there is a 16-day campaign from 25 November to December. What kind of activities are you doing during the 16-day campaign? The role of eliminating violence against women is also important in this movement, so please tell me about it.
A: For our Taang Women’s Organization, this year is the most difficult year to organize the 16-day campaign. However, we organized it. Like in the past, there was no opportunity to organize it openly among the public after making field trips. We are doing three activities in this 16-day campaign on internet blackout and the closure of roads. A two-day seminar was held on the topic of identifying and finding solutions to the most difficult challenges, including sexual violence, faced by women in major armed conflicts.
Ta’ang civil society organizations from the northern Shan State mainly participated in the two-day seminar. Township youth groups attended it. CBOs also attended it.
Township women organizations and the philographic organizations helping women, children and IDPs in the community mainly made cooperation to identify all the difficulties and challenges faced by women in Shan State, including sexual violence. After it, we discussed ways of protecting it among our CSOs, youth organizations and CBOs.
We are planning to hold a ceremony to mark the International Human Rights Day on 10 December to mark the 16-day movement. We plan to discuss how we can move forward together in bringing truth and justice for these human rights violations that happened after the coup, by inviting youths and the public in the townships.
Another one is to invite political and human rights activists, and hold a dialogue to know the situation of human rights violations in the region and the conditions of legal protection. These are the activities that will be done this year. This year, we can organize the 16-day online campaign.
Q: The 16-day campaign was organized openly every year. But after the military coup in 2021, we can no longer organize this campaign. What are the difficulties and challenges in this regard? Educative program plays a very important role in the 16-day campaign. The movement cannot be done openly. How can the negative impacts happen due to the lack of the educative sector?
A: We have a lot of difficulties. This 16-day campaign is very important. Priority is given to political and military affairs rather than the issues pertaining to women and children. As a women’s organization, we are making the 16-day campaign amidst the instability during the wartime.
Before the coup, the people from all regions were invited to the towns and villages, and then they were able to engage in public activities openly and joyfully. However, after the coup, human rights and women’s rights activists are at a very high risk of being arrested and questioned by the military council. The people who will participate in the 16-day campaign are in a position of being interrogated and arrested. Another one is we were unable to do it due to the military council’s tightened security near the city. We are not an organization registered with the military council. So, if we hold it in a place like a public hall, we always have to ask for letters of recommendation from the military council step by step. This is a dangerous situation for our security and the safety of the public. The public don’t dare to keep the documents about the women and human rights we distributed. That’s why we don’t dare to do it openly. After the coup, we mainly went to remote areas and mobilized the people in that area to join our activities.
Q: According to surveys conducted by the Ta’ang Women’s Organization, after the military coup, women were subjected to violence. May I know the latest situation?
A: After the coup, we have collected the data about violence against women by dividing into two categories. We also compile the list of violence against women among civilians. According to data collected from 2021 to September 2023, there were more than 212 cases of violence against women. These are the cases that our Ta’ang Women’s Organization provided services in almost three years after the coup. Among them, there are more than 35 cases of rape, more than 20 cases of sexual harassment and more than 60 cases of domestic violence. There are only the records of the services provided in such cases.
Most of the victims are women and children. This is only the list of violence against women among civilians until September of this year. These cases cannot be said to cover the entire Shan State. As far as we can reach, this is only the case that the public complains to our team. Another thing is that there are things that are collected as crimes committed by the military and armed groups. Here, both women and women involved in the cases are recorded. There are the cases such as arrests, stepping on landmines, tortures, murders, rape, the recruitment of child soldiers, missing cases and the arrests for porters. There are 162 cases in total. The number of victims has exceeded 300. The number of women who were victims of violence is about 70. This is only the recorded cases committed by the military and armed forces. We provided services to them. We have collected the lists within our reach. There may be cases which are not within our reach and are left behind without the public knowing that they have to file a complaint. We don’t know these cases yet. Most of the collected information is from the northern Shan State.
Q: Under the title of “1027 Operation”, the fighting became very intense in northern Shan State. More than 100 civilians were killed during the operation. Among them, women and children were killed and injured. What would you like to say about it as a women’s group?
A: This “1027 operation” has been over a month. Women, children and the elderly are in the majority either in the casualties or among the displaced population. Looking back at that situation, heavy shelling and aerial bombardment killed and wounded women and children and destroyed houses. The information collected daily is published on the Facebook page of the Ta’ang Women’s Organization about the people affected by the heavy weapons. The houses were mostly destroyed by heavy weapons and aerial bombardments launched from the military council’s bases.
In such a situation, they fired indiscriminately, assuming that there were ethnic armed forces and the PDFs who were carrying out a city-capture battle in the ” Operation 1027″. They fired shoots into the towns and villages. What we want to mainly say is not to fire shoots targeting the public.
When there is a war, there are places where the military bases are close to the people and places that are far away from the people. That’s why the two sides are urged to avoid indiscriminate shootings targeting the public and engaging in fighting in places close to the public and in the time the public does not know. After that, it is important to inform the public so that they can avoid it in a situation in which the fight may occur.
Q: Now the battle is getting more intense day by day. What are the future prospects of avoiding harm to women and protecting female IDPs?
A: This operation is happening in northern Shan State alone. Then, it has spread to other regions and states. The battles in other regions have caused damage and negative effects to our region. The battles in northern Shan State also had many effects and negative effects on other regions and states. If the fighting continues like this, the civilian casualties will only increase. The public will not be able to return home, and the death of women and children, civilian deaths and house damage will increase. We are not in a position to get information about the casualties of women and children if the war continues, the routes remain closed, internet and mobile phone lines are cut off. If it becomes a situation where all routes are closed, IDPs may face a shortage of food and water. Most IDP camps in northern Shan State do not have enough food for the long term. Even now, it’s very cold. It rained because of the storm. Health problems are becoming more common due to thin sheets and blankets and cold weather.
Because of this, more people get sick. Now, women, maternal and child health services are at a standstill. Health services are urgently needed. Another thing is there are unexploded weapons.
The number of IDPs will increase as they are unsafe along the way back home. It will become a difficult situation. Long-term shortages of food, water and health services can become even more dangerous. Most of the IDP camps have no separate bedrooms and toilets for men and women yet. They have to share a bathing area. If men and women have to sleep together in a large hall and the bathroom is shared, the percentage of women and children who may be subjected to violence in the long run is very high.
Even now, the IDP committees have to pay more attention to food as the number of IDPs is increasing day by day. They may be unaware of how to manage the dangers of this violence. Women may be victims of violence. Perhaps these are situations where the public can’t pay attention to them and can’t talk about them openly. That is why it is very necessary to protect women from violence. Another thing is children’s mental health. Children’s mental health is such that they are quite vulnerable in this situation.
Q: The current battle situation has become more intense. An ethnic armed group is recruiting young women and men. What would you like to say about that matter?
A: Yes, we also hear it. On the ground, there are some ethnic armed groups which arrest young people on the street and recruit soldiers. At Monekoe, there is a recruitment of soldiers after forcing the novices to disrobe. Women get arrested. In such a situation, we have gathered it with the details of the record and the witnesses. But day by day the number of cases is higher than we recorded. We have not received any information yet. We have collected this evidence. It is very dangerous for the public.
What we are worried about is whether to recruit these soldiers and send them to the battlefield immediately. If these soldiers don’t get any military training, they’re the ones who don’t know anything about martial arts or military skills except for risking their lives on the front line. This is something to avoid.
There are cases of recruiting soldiers after arresting too many young people. The children may be recruited. The important thing is they should avoid the violations of children’s rights. It is important that the ethnic armed forces and the People’s Defense Forces themselves, do not practice military dictatorship when they fight the military dictator together.
Because of this, the ethnic armed forces and the People’s Defense Forces, who are fighting the military dictatorship, need to review their own systems and actions to see if they themselves are practicing this military dictatorship. In ” Operation 1027 “, the ethnic armed people and the People’s Defense Forces are fighting against the military council, with the desire to eradicate authoritarian regimes. Because of that, they themselves are required to completely avoid the military dictatorship’s practices, orders and actions. The public also needs to be protected.
Q: Finally, the military situation will continue to intensify. The number of IDPs has increased. Now we see that the number of IDPs has increased to more than 80,000 in northern Shan State alone. So, what would you like to add and say about these issues? How do you want to request it?
A: Now, our organization’s ability is to support the affected people. We will be in a position where we can cooperate in any way we can to achieve the truth and justice. We can meet with other international organizations to get help, to a certain extent.
Because of that, if there are more damages and IDPs, it will be a situation where we have no ability to stop the war. Because it is beyond our ability to do. We can only provide basic support to the public.
In order to prevent food and water shortages and avoid the deaths of IDPs due to the difficult healthcare. It is difficult for the IDPs to get healthcare services. International organizations, other NGOs and INGOs and all CSOs need to prioritize the public and provide aid to them in order that the patients and the patients injured by heavy weapons can be saved. The public itself needs to participate in it.
Sent by Shan News