Speakers Wah Ku Shee, Phyu Phyu Sann and Toe Toe
Relaying accounts of their struggles and ultimate survival under a brutal regime, three women activists from Burma, Wah Ku Shee, Toe Toe and Phyu Phyu Sann, spoke at the School of Social Work Wednesday, as part of CUPID’s featured monthly development dialogue.
Earlier in the month, Wah Ku Shee and Toe Toe traveled from their current homes in Thailand where they now live in exile near the Burma border to lobby at the UNGA regarding their current advocacy campaign calling for a Commission of Inquiry on Burma and to share the realities of the current situation of women in Burma who are often targeted for human rights abuses – including the use of rape as a weapon of war. Additionally, Phyu Phyu Sann, current resident of NYC of and Burma researcher at the Global Justice Center, gave an introductory background on Burma, it’s current military state and a glimpse into the increased conflict that may arise in the immediate future considering the upcoming regime-led election scheduled for November 7, 2010.
Activist Toe Toe shared her story of how she fled Burma to live in Thailand in search of a better life only to end up living illegally in the country as a migrant worker, making little more than one dollar a day. Exploited by factory workers, she lived in constant fear of arrest and deportation. However, her story is a triumphant one as she has been able to use her voice as a strong advocate for migrant workers’ rights and the people who presently live oppressed in her home country, unable to utter a word in opposition of their country without the risk of receiving a lengthy jail sentence. Currently, she works with the Women’s League of Burma representing Burmese Women’s Union where she also worked on the CEDAW Shadow Report, travelling to Geneva as part of the submitting group.
Wah Ku Shee, another delegate from the Women’s League of Burma also has quite a bit of experience advocating for the human rights of the people of Burma internationally. On Wednesday, she shared a powerful presentation on the some of the horrors the ethnic minorities must endure as the regime targets them in effort to suppress ethnic populations. Often attacked in the jungle and in their remote villages, they face high mortality rates with little hope of adequate medical care. Counseling for their psychological traumas is virtually nonexistent. However, her personal story is also one of resilience and inspiration as she has remained a strong advocate for the Karen women of eastern Burma for over nine years.
For more information, please visit the US Campaign for Burma’s website at uscampaignforburma.org
