Democracy and Peace Women Network

 

The Democracy and Peace Women’s Network is a Yangon-based local civil society organisation that operates on a volunteer basis. The self-supporting team strives to connect with those most in need in Myanmar, individuals and communities whose rights and freedoms have been marginalised. The Network provides support and legal assistance to survivors of human trafficking, political prisoners and their families, farmers whose land has been confiscated, victims of gender-based violence, as well as ethnic minorities whose rights are often violated.

The Network is led by the inspiring Naw Ohn Hla, herself a former political prisoner who frequently and actively defends human rights. The Democracy and Peace Women Network engages in three main pillars of work: land and natural resource rights (both awareness-raising and support to take legal action), women’s and children’s rights (focusing on protection laws for women, complaint mechanisms, child soldiers, and reproductive health), and lastly, peacebuilding (networking with ethnic women’s groups for advocacy campaigns, advocating for women participation in peace and for the protection of women in conflict areas). In maintaining a commitment to address the needs of their community, the Democracy and Peace Women Network also participates in more cross-cutting social development areas, including offering programmes for families, educational support for impoverished children, and emergency relief for disaster-affected communities.

The team at Democracy and Peace Women Network are committed to contributing to both democracy and peace in their country. Their work with those who have been legally, physically and socially marginalised is crucial in furthering a more peaceful and inclusive Myanmar.