Discrimination in Myanmar

Gender Discrimination

Civil Society members feel that women were targeted by the military and the government for being a part of ethnic nationality and for being women. Usually, ethnic women meet with pressure that the government puts pressure on them as the military are everywhere in rural area. Women don’t know the law, so they don’t’ know what to do. Sometimes, the women face rape by the military as the women are afraid due to lack of knowledge.


The government policy is to destroy the ethnic women by raping especially in the rural areas, focusing on mixing up the blood lines which will result on distinction of pure ethnic groups. Women have fewer opportunities to attend university and work. The number of women present on village authority was few. To what extend women were excluded from public life requires further research. I want to describe women discrimination among Kachin, Mon and Zomi.

Kachin women discrimination
According to my recent interview done, women are primarily, stay at home wives and child-bearers, while men have a variety of job opportunities available to them, women are more restricted-in terms of their potential government jobs especially teaching primary and middle school. But most teachers are Bamar, and therefore few Kachin women are hired as teachers other than teaching, there are few job opportunities for women. Women sell vegetables and fruits at local markets, but this tends to occur more often when the husband is sick and unable to provide income.

Mon women discrimination
“When men become monks, they go to a noble place; they say if women go there, something will happen. It will be bad luck for society and the community. The golden rock for example has a place where women are not allowed to go. But when women to go up, nothing happened, I can see that nothing happens” said Middle-aged women(NGO Worker).

Zomi women discrimination
There are considerable gaps in equality amongst men and women in Zomi society. A middle-aged male NGO worker described a typical day for village women. ‘I wake up and my wife must be ready to have my breakfast. The husband and wife go to the field, but before this the wife must make corn for one hour, then make breakfast and take care of the kids. Women work almost non-stop from the time they work up until they go to bed.
Interviewees also report gender discrimination within the church. A middle-aged female Baptist pastor reveal there are approximately 200 women pastors in Chin Sate compare to 800 male pastors. This is because of gender discrimination within the Chin State Church Structure.

Education problem
The educational system in chin state is lacking due to Burmanization educational system which is the language of instruction for all government-run schools is Burmese while ethnic languages are not taught. Moreover, school often requires financial investments from the parents and therefore poor families and their children are put at a disadvantage. Formally, universities were held in high regard as educational institutions and place where expression flourished. Regarding government positions, it is very difficult for an ethnic person to get a high position; even she/he is well educated because of being minorities. None of our education is applicable to the workplace most people do history or physics (in university), but this doesn’t make food or money. We need skills and knowledge capacity building programs, education, particularly in the fields of agriculture, politics and networking.

Food problem
On account of global warming and unbalance Eco-system, rice does not grow well in Chin State as most Zomi still use traditional farming techniques for consumption, such as shifting cultivation which prove to have a poor field. So there is no food security in the long run.The government is not interested in helping us due to no economic opportunities and no resources. A recent UN organization survey shows that Chin State is the poorest state in Myanmar with 81 percent below the poverty line” There is also said to be very little communication or communication infrastructure, between northern and southern chin state. Job opportunities are limited in chin state as we have no big industry and no big projects.

Objectives
The Zomi women from Chin State are to empower that they are fully capable of realizing their rights, to end gender blindness and to promote the women’s participation in peace and democratic processes. Women’s education is to ensure and women’s opportunity is to accept so that development is found. Sustainable ways and alternative ways of farming for consumption will be carried out by the Zomi women in Chin Hills.

Sent by: Zogam Khaino

I responded as the follows:
Gender Discrimination is existed not only in this generation, but also started from the Roman era. In those days, Roman counted women just for house wife and take caring of babies and house. Not permitted to participate in political activities and civil societies. From where it was originated I do not know. That was incarnated and recycled again in our days. Not only in our community, there are so many happenings in world wide. Here we urge human equality and to practice now and on.

Last time, two our sisters serving as teachers to Kachin Refugees, the group of Myanmar army raped and killed cruelly. What is the response of the Myanmar army, we cannot see until today. Let us see in our community, some police raped our sister. No further action is processed against the desperados. By seeing these occurrences, we cannot see any process on democracy and human right too. Discrimination in the religious activities again is included in our community. As we are sons and daughters of the Creator, we have to practice human equality in our church, community, and in many more areas.

I don’t want to tell about discrimination in Education. Because, the education we receive is too different among plain dwellers and high landers. The thing I cannot forget is: The Myanmar government practiced that all hill people could not good education. Because they do a system to pass every class easily and fail in Matric exams fatally. You could not choose your own stream and forced you another subject what you are not interested. How can you afford good education in this Myanmar Education system- this message was delivered at Myole Shwe Siikhung Kyaungtaik of Pyin Oo Lwin in 1998 by a professor Burmese Language at Defense Service Institute of Technology(DSIT).

As the gov’t is transformed to democracy, nowadays young people get a chance to learn what they interest and what they will to know. Let us wait for the Gov’t that they really practice it or no. All these discrimination must be removed from our community and civilians.
TQ