IMNA : Today, February 24th, 2010, Mon women from both the Thailand-Burma border, and inside Mon State itself, joined together to celebrate the 6th annual “Mon Women’s Day” in Bleh-donephai village in Three Pagodas Pass Township, Mon State. 2010 marked the first year that the event has been held inside Burma.
A group known simply as the “Mon Women’s Day Committee planned the event for the 6th year in a row; previous celebrations have always taken place in the border town of Sangklaburi, Thailand. 113 people attended the Bleh-donephai event, while smaller gatherings were also held for the first time in Tavoy district and Ye Township.
“For Mon Women’s Day this year, we moved the celebration inside Burma, because we want many Mon women to know about Mon Women’s day. Some Mon women don’t know about Mon Women’s Day, that’s why [the celebration was held inside,” said Mon Women’s Day committee member Mi Aie Son.
She informed IMNA that the increasing numbers of human rights violations committed against Mon women inside Burma made this the 2010 event’s location particularly significant.
“The Burmese battalions have entered into Mon areas; they [Mon women] have been abused by Burmese soldiers, especially the residence from southern Ye Township. The authorities have allowed the businessmen to open restaurants, but many people have problems because of the current economic crisis, and some Mon women have lost their jobs as servers in these restaurants to men, and now must be prostitutes at these same restaurants,” she added.
Mon Women’s Day was originally founded to celebrate the strength of Mon women, both past and present.
“We chose this day [Feb 24th] for Mon Women’s Day, in honor of the birthday our kingdom’s Queen Mi Jao Pu, who lead the Mon kingdom long ago [between 1453 and 1472],” the pamphlets issued at the celebration explained.
The official statement of event, issued by the Mon Women’s Day committee, proclaimed, “We must prevent the military government from carrying out its plan to have its men marry Mon women. We must close the restaurants where Mon work as prostitutes. We must stop traffickers who traffic women. We must prevent the military government from sending its troops into Mon State, where they abuse Mon women.”
Indeed, the much of the event focused on empowering Mon women to push for change within their own lives, and in their communities.
“As we can see, today every single woman can do any job and can be leaders. We must get rid of old ideas that oppress Mon women, and live by new ideas. We are demanding the rights we should have as women,” Daw Nyine, a chairwoman for the event, explained.
