The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement held ceremony to mark 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence via videoconferencing yesterday morning. The ceremony was attended by Union Minister Dr Win Myat Aye, Deputy Minister U Soe Aung, Chairpersons of the Women and Children Affairs Committee of Pyithu and Amyotha Hluttaws, Deputy Chairman and members of Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Mr Ola Almgren, Myanmar National Committee for Women’s Affairs, chairpersons of women committees from Nay Pyi Taw, States and Regions, the Directors-General, Deputy Directors-General and officials of the department concerned, country representatives of UN organizations, INGOs, NGOs and the civilian organizations.
During the ceremony, the Union Minister said the ceremony for 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence has been holding in Myanamar since 2018, and the country reports 51.81 per cent of the female population and so the measures to prevent the violence against women have postive impacts on the development and protections for all citizens.
The Union Minister discussed the membership of UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, ASEAN Committee on Women Affairs, ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children, implementation of ASEAN Regional Plan of Action of Elimination on Violence against Women like other ASEAN regions between 2016 and 2019, 4 policies and 12 working plans of MNCWA, National Strategic Plan (2013-2022) for women advancement and drafting phase (2) as the strategic plan will expire in 2022.
He also talked about the formation of the national committee and the working committee on prevention and addressing conflict-related sexual violence, setting up of 24hours Help Line service in 2016, cash assistance and arrangement for the accommodation of the victims, the establishment of One-Stop Women Support Centres in Yangon, Mandalay, Mawlamyine, Lashio, Kayah and Monywa, the appointment of 250 Case Managers and this year’s theme “Orange the World: Fund, Response, Prevent, Collect.”
He also stressed the concerted efforts to do in line with the theme like collecting data and fund-raising to provide more cash assistance in preventing gender-based violence as it can be supposed the numbers of domestic violence are increasing, the statement of Union Accord of the Union Peace Conference-21st Century Panglong Conference including gender equality, policy to prevent gender based violence in building the federal democratic union, amendment and revise of law if necessary, drafting of law for Protection and Prevention of Violence against Women, 30 per cent of women participation according to Union Accord for gender equality and further cooperation for the development of all women including the ones from border areas. Then, UN Resident Coordinator Mr Ola Almgren made a greeting speech and then video clip of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence was played.—MNA
(Translated by Khine Thazin Han)
