central committee members
Our Mission :
RWU is one of the Organization working to develop the women leadership in the movement of Rakhaing interest and to increase the woman participation in all sphere of decision making, We work to establish peace and democratic country with participation and leadership role. Present Activities : |
Establishment of RWU :During the 1988 uprising in Rakhaing State, Burma, peoples from Rakhaing State were actively participated in demonstration against the totalitarian government of Ne Win, to regain their rights. After Saw Maung Military ruler seized the state power on 18th September in the same year, most of the political & social activist including women were arrested and imprisoned.
In the course of interrogation, women were exploited by military henchman, tortured mentality and physically in murky cells and vilified by ungrounded suspicions. Since then many young people of conscience in Rakhaing State have been kept and detained though various forms of abuse such as forced labor in the field, road construction and new army camp construction, farming labor to support military and frontier areas as porters or extorting properties from local people. The soldiers of ruling junta, force Rakhaing women to marry them in all kinds or cruel ways without regard for the women’s wishes. Consequently, some Rakhaing women put up with the unwilling conjugal life with Burmese soldiers. In order to escape such torture, rape, detention and forced labor, they fled in the large numbers to the bordering countries and continuing struggle for democracy and human rights . In 1997, many people from Rakhaing state, including women and children were took shelter along the Indo- Bangla- Burma border. Many are killed by environmental catastrophes or die preventable diseases and social neglect. In 1998 under the leadership of Saw Mra Raza Linn, Rakhaing Women Union(RWU) was founded for the protection of their rights and promoting democratic environment in Rakhaig state, Burma and uplifting socio-economic condition of Poor Rakhainag people. The organization developed Non-formal Primary Education, Primary Health Care, Credit support for implementing Income Generating Project. The organization conducted Seminar, Workshop, Symposium for the promoting Women and Human Rights, Good Governance and Women Empowerment, participated many national and international seminars, workshops also. RWU protect the violation of the women and human rights and rehabilitate affected refugee women and children. Conducted the first Rakhaing Language Curriculum program for refugees and local Rakhaing children. children from Rakhaing State and some local poor.So RWU have more confident and knowledge for carrying out assignment to encourage women empowerment and community acceptance of women in leadership roles. After forming soon RWU participated in the Women forum in Chiang Mai , Thailand and met various women groups. The result of the forum was met to for a Women umbrella organization (WLB) in future. RWU took various initiative role to form women umbrella organization in the movement and RWU became a founder member of WLB. Now RWU is giving priority to work inside Rakhaing State and establish a small office in Sittway, the capital of Rakhaing State. |