Religious leaders take stand on violence against women

Mar 08, 2016

MYANMAR: Religious leaders from four major faiths in Myanmar called for an end to violence and discrimination against women during an International Women’s Day debate in Yangon over the weekend.

The three-hour discussion was organised by UN Women and Religions for Peace, a Yangon-based interfaith group bringing together Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.

“Violence against women and girls is the most pervasive human rights violation in Myanmar,” Jean D’Cunha, head of UN Women Myanmar, said in her opening address. “[It] occurs as physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence in normal times and in crisis.”

Violence against women is a major problem in Myanmar where public awareness about the issue is low and cultural norms, ignorance about their rights, and a lack of legal aid and counselling often prevent women and girls from speaking out.

“Given the strategic reach and influence that religious leaders have in communities, their contribution to ending violence against women and girls is invaluable,” Ms D’Cunha told The Myanmar Times.

U Myint Swe, who chairs Religions for Peace, said that violence against women occurred across all religions in Myanmar, even though none of the religious teachings provided a base for discrimination or violence.

“Buddhist teachings do not have discrimination against women but yet these issues have occurred, as with other religions. We have deviated from the original teachings,” he said.

Ms D’Cunha and U Myint Swe warned that conflict often worsens abuse of women. In Rakhine, northern Shan and Kachin states, higher rates of violence against women have been reported. Rights groups have regularly called for an end to violence against women in areas of civil strife, where they say rape is used as a weapon of war by government troops.

“Discriminatory values and attitudes play out against women and girls in routine everyday life, and get exacerbated in crisis, be it disasters or be it conflict or be it emotional or psychological crises that men and boys may experience,” Ms D’Cunha said.

U Myint Swe said, “Especially in this time when we are building peace, we should have no violence against women in these [conflict] areas.”

According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which was adopted in June, those who commit offences against women during civil war must face prosecution in the International Criminal Court. The government in power must also create truth commissions at the community level to uncover evidence about past incidents, and apologies must be given to victims.

Women’s organisations in Myanmar, however, have reported repeatedly that when they try to help women in conflict areas file criminal charges against their assailants, the authorities refuse to accept the case if a soldier was involved.--mmtimes