Ta’ang Women’s Organization

Vision

We want a federal and democratic society with peace, equality, and justice in the community.

Mission

  • Being Justice, peace and a democratic society
  • Being Gender equality
  • Advancing the status of women and promoting inclusive development and women’s participation at every decision-making level
  • Elimination of all kinds of violence against women
  • Reducing all kinds of human rights violations

Objectives

  • To empower Ta’ang women to become confident and powerful to be able to actively participate in the political sphere and decision making.
  • To raise awareness on the gender based violence and support women who have faced violence in order to eliminate all forms of violence against women.
  • To improve the lives of survivors and displaced person through their participation and empower them to speak out for truth and justice.
  • To reduce all kinds of Human Rights Violations in Ta’ang areas and to get truth and justice.
  • To maintain and promote Ta’ang language and culture through all our activities

Background of TWO

Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO) was established in Mae Sot, Thailand, in 2000, under the name ‘Palaung Women’s Organization’ (PWO). At the time, women were not actively participating in other Ta’ang organizations due to widely held misconceptions about women’s unsuitability that restricted their access to training, education, skills-building, and leadership roles. PWO’s mandate was to remove some of these barriers and empower women to achieve equality in their communities.

Responding to political reforms, PWO moved its activities into Myanmar in 2012, changing its name to TWO according to the result of fifth congress decision to more closely associate with local Ta’ang communities. Though TWO retained the same overarching vision, it adapted its activities and approaches to more closely address community needs.

Despite the appearance of democratization in recent years, very little has changed for rural and remote communities in Myanmar. Ta’ang communities still face human rights abuses, and Ta’ang women continue to face further marginalization and discrimination based on gender. In this context, TWO continues the long-term implementation of many existing projects while adapting to new and developing community needs.

Women’s Political Empowerment Program

TWO provides Young Women’s Capacity Building Trainings, which focuses on democracy, rule of law, federalism, human rights, women’s rights and the political background of Burma. Through TWO’s Internship Project, interns learn Burmese politics, English language, computer skills, TWO activities and office management skills.

TWO has trained over 1,500 women and held over 90 peer workshops. TWO also opens their Women’s Leadership School for young women once a year. Through this school, these young women are trained to become skilful and confident in taking leadership roles.

Eliminating Violence against Women Program

TWO provides workshops and exchanges on gender-based violence and trafficking of women in 11 townships. These activities educate and raise awareness on topics such as rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, trafficking and other women’s rights violations.

TWO also has a crisis support center where it helps women and their children who have been trafficked and faced violence in their communities.

To prevent gender-based violence in the community, TWO founded the Preventing on Gender based Violence committee which is established through committees at the village level that link with local people.

Community Development and Humanitarian Aid Program

Many Ta’ang communities face difficulties as a result of decades of conflict, administrative mismanagement, displacement, and the impacts of drug trade. It is not only the direct victims of violence who suffer, but whole communities have been left behind without means to support their livelihoods. For these communities, they need more than awareness-raising and empowerment; they need the means, skills, and resources to generate secure incomes.

Since 2012, TWO has supported IDPs in the Ta’ang area. We provide food, medicine, and other materials, and published a report on the situation of IDPs in the first year of the project. TWO continues to support IDPs through these activities. TWO also empowers survivors of torture, landmines, rape, killing and disappearance, especially in conflict, providing emergency, medical, legal and livelihoods support.

Information Documentation and Research Department

TWO collects evidence of various human rights violations in the Ta’ang area and cooperates with Network for Human Rights Documentation Burma on legal analysis. TWO also provides documentation training to young people, and publishes reports and statements on pressing issues through the media and the TWO website. To address the voice of Ta’ang people and their concerns, TWO publishes Poe Ta’ang Journal once a year.

Income Generation Project

TWO promotes Ta’ang culture and to raise organization fund by making and selling Ta’ang traditional clothes. TWO also add the Ta’ang Literature as a particular subject in curriculum and conduct it in empowerment training.