Men join workshop on women’s rights

28 November 2007
Human Rights

Men join workshop on women’s rights

A workshop focused on the way to reduce violence against women held on Monday, 26 November, on the Thai-Burma border was attended by 28 participants, including 12 men.
 
The resource person, U Maung Maung Gyi, also happened to be a man. “To prevent violence, it depends on the state,” he said. “Deputy Senior General Maung Aye said our domestic problems don’t concern our neighbors. Doesn’t he know his people are running away to the neighboring countries?”
 
“Solving the violence in the family is like solving the violence in the state,” said male participant. They were active in the discussion of comparison between family violence and state violence.
 
“The state ought to have a law for preventing violence not only for a men also women,” said a female attendance. “This law must be very powerful and effective for women,” added another attended woman. “From now on we men will try the best to stop violence against women,” male participants promised before closing the workshop.
 
 The workshop was organized by Regional Women Against Violence (WAV) team which is one of the branches of the Thai-based Women's League for Burma (WLB). It  comprised 12 different ethnic women organizations. Its mission is to work for women's empowerment and advancement of the status of women, and to work for the increased participation of women in all spheres of society in the democracy movement, and in peace and national reconciliation process through capacity building, advocacy, research and documentation, according to its statement.
 
_{This report is filed by intern Hseng Khio Fah – Editor}