Women in Burma must act as an agent of Change – they must put an end to the mentality and culture of bully, violence, injustice and unfairness.

Last night I watched a program about the incidences that occurred during the dictatorial regime in Argentina, when hundreds of babies were stolen from their young parents, who were then killed by the regime, and the babies brought up as their own. Grandmothers of these children still grieve for their dead sons and daughters, and continue to look for their grandchildren. Only now because of these brave women, the truth has surfaced and a few of these perpetrators brought to justice and the children re-united with their grandmothers.

In this age of civilization, human beings have not yet found the answer to live in peace with one another; they are still warring and killing each other. Like Argentina and Spain, Burma, under the dictatorial army is plagued with conflicts, violence, war and political aggression and abuse. We need a new vision and innovative approaches that insure human security, dignity, peace and well-being.

Women must and can play an essential leadership role in guiding this change using their experience and wisdom as motherhood to help build viable peace, especially now that the world institutions and governments have failed to respond successfully to new crises, challenges and conflicts of the 21st. Century.

The saying “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”, means that women are important  because of their roles as mothers, in shaping the lives of their children who would be the future builders of tomorrow world.  We must acknowledge that adult behaviors influence children, and encourage them to develop their own patterns of right and wrong, good and bad, and positive and negative thinking.

The majority accepts that in war there are no winners nor losers, and that violence begets violence. Taking Burma as an example, both the Bamar majority, as they claim to be, and other ethnic nationalities are both bearing the crunch of a half - century conflict, political aggression and abuse- both sides have suffered a great loss of lives. The ones who suffered most are mothers whose young sons and daughters died in battles; or when boys and girls as young as seven or eight years old, are bundled off to be trained as soldiers in the Tamadaw. Not knowing what had become of them, all they can do is grieve for their loved ones. There have been many reports that some of these unwilling young recruits were so unhappy that they committed suicide or tried to escape. When caught during escape, children are punished severely as recently documented in the Irrawaddy recently.

Below is a poem by an ex-Burmese soldier trained in Ba Htoo Myo, now living abroad.

“welcome to the fort town of ba htoo.’’ greets the heavily armed checkpoint--colonel ba htoo died fighting the japanese in the last world war. -  the town that honours the anti-fascist hero is a purpose-built breeding ground for the ultra-nationalist myanmar army-where can you find a better irony? the ‘basic training’ is where boys my age get dehumanized- ‘you’re in the myanmar tatmadaw now'- leave all your sense of self, pride and shame outside-run faster, you, mother doers-don’t you know which leg of yours is right? are you a girl? go wear a htamein.’’-attention! why are you here?-‘‘for the people, sir, for the people, sir.’’--what kind of spirit do you have?-‘‘steel spirit, sir, steel spirit sir.’’ -even steel spirits melt under pressure”.

my martyr of the day still harrows me-private san aung had made a suicide pact with his girlfriend.-too bad he shot himself first at his heart -his chest was sewn up like a gunny sack after the autopsy-went along with him down- ‘the pagan road’ to the cemetery, flowers, tears , empathy and hypocrisy- for he had fallen in love, not in war, the poor private didn’t get military rites -in ba htoo, the pop-pops of daily shooting practices, compete with the death calls of cicadas, spent mortar shells are reborn as vases for buddhist shrines and pagodas.

in ba htoo, the deafening ‘charge!’ of mock battles are taken for granted; they no longer induce hysteria----in ba htoo, everyone is suffering from adjustment disorder, no resident is permanent,-early retirement is not possible, quitters are to be shot, life, for most, is simply horrible.( Ba Htoo Myo is in the principality of Lawksawk, Southern Shan State )

Everything a mother has instilled in her child to be a good human being is erased and replaced with the dictatorial army's doctrine: to conquer, suppress and take everything belonging to those who do not conform or identify with them in culture language and religion, including ethnic cleansing and genocide. They are being trained not only to be physically active, but they are also brain-washed. In 2002, Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) and Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) documented that the Bamar Tatmadaw used rape as a weapon of war on non- Burman ethnic nationalities.

Alex Spillers of the Telegraph reports from the border region where Burma’s army is using rape as a weapon of war:

“Nang Lek has a recurring dream in which she runs and runs from pursuing soldiers.

It ends before they catch her. “I wish in real life I had got away, but I didn’t”, she said in a fragile voice, bowing her head. One morning in January she and two other women, desperate for food, left the jungle where they had been hiding from the Burmese army, which earlier had attacked a nearby village. They came across a patrol . The others escaped but she was captured and ordered at gun point to go with them.

That evening her 15 day rape ordeal began,” I can’t remember how many there were. Who ever wanted came and slept with me. They used me like a dog”, Weak, emaciated and traumatized, she was freed near the point where she had been seized. Members of her family had to carry her for much of the day and a half journey to the doctor, where she recuperated before fleeing Shan State for Northern Thailand. Her account provides damning evidence in support of a new human rights report, “Licence to Rape”, which accuses Burmese troops of using sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Even after the present cease -fire the dictatorial army is still attacking not only the Kachin, but also the Shan army. Before the Union Day of 12 February, the Burma Army demanded for the withdrawal of SSA troops from Loi Lan base, which was refused, subsequently leading to the reinforcement of its troops and seven armed clashes along the mountain ranges. Only on 22 February battle alone, the Burma Army had suffered 28 killed”, according to an officer from SSA headquarters. According to SHAN sources, the Burma Army causalities are 28 deaths and 14 wounded. It has been reported that hundreds of people have died during the Tatmadaw attack on the Kachin.

To prevent further sufferings of mothers and fathers whose children are the victims of war and violence, women can play a big role in making a change to this long and dark culture and mentality of violence, hate, aggression, bully, injustice, unfairness, selfish and narrow-mindedness.  It is time for all, especially women, to make a stand once and for all and say enough is enough, No more war, no more murdering each other and no more child soldiers.

In connection with women's role in Burma, I would like to join Ying Cherry in wishing SWAN A very Happy and Successful 15th Anniversary (Which falls on 28 March). Congratulations to all members, past and present, particularly to the founding members, their advisers and advocates.  During these 14 years, they have helped countless young Tai/Shan girls who came to them as interns, by showing them how to make use of their skills and work within and for the community; and most of all to gain confidence in themselves.

SWAN says that its mandate is “to promote the rights of women and children and to protect them from exploitation and violence. Since the formation of SWAN, they have responded to the practical needs of communities along the border whose lives have been devastated by decades of military aggression by the regime. In spite of many obstacles, they have set up schools, health centres, crisis support centres and trained women and girls to work for the justice and welfare of their gender”.

Since 1999, when it first started, women who were once trained by or worked in close association with SWAN have multiplied  by several fold, and are now working in different organisations, and with more political awareness. From a humble beginning under very difficult and fearful conditions SWAN has come of age, ready to change the role of women in their own country and work shoulder to shoulder with other global women association. I like their policies and am really proud of what they have achieved. It is most ridiculous, that the Burmese dictatorial regime should label them as terrorists for the good job they do'- This shows the concept of dictatorial values.

How can we spend so much on destruction of human life, when at the same time we are trying to save lives through the advancement of medical and other researches, and trying to help people who have suffered through natural disasters and hunger. We need to use our energy and resources to work for peace, justice and human dignity.

Human beings are unique and for everyone life is most precious and during our short life on the planet why can't we accept that all human beings are born equal, and when the time comes we must all perish, leaving everything we own behind? While still alive why not spread a little bit of kindness, compassion, consideration for others and happiness which cost nothing, as a worthy legacy for future generations?

The contributor is the daughter of the ruling prince of Lawksawk and the author of “My Vanished World”.