Women's League of Burma

Women's League of BurmaThe Women's League of Burma is one of the many exiled, pro-democracy political movements in the region. With headquarters in Chang Mai, Thailand, the Women's League of Burma is an umbrella organization linking various women's ethnic minority organizations into a proactive organization fighting for democracy and the protection of women's human rights in Burma. With the brutal military regime of the SPDC ruling Burma and employing systematic rapes as an instrument of control, many women, men and children have fled to the jungle or border areas surrounding the country. The Women's League of Burma fights for the institution of democracy in Burma, and has been involved in pro-democracy activities such as drafting a gender-sensitive constitution for future Burma. The Women's League of Burma also publishes reports documenting the human rights violations of the SPDC within the country. The most recent report, "State of Terror," documents the systematic rapes, human trafficking, portering and forced labor for which the SPDC is notorious. [cite web|url=http://www.womenofburma.org/Statement&Release/state_of_terror_report.pdf |title=State of Terror report |accessdate=2007-05-21 |date=2007-02-01 |publisher=Women's League of Burma] Women's League of Burma activities have included constitution drafting via legal trainings by American women's rights lawyers from the Global Justice Center [cite web|url=http://www.globaljusticecenter.net/projects/burma/ |title=Global Justice Center Burma Project |accessdate=2007-05-21 |date=2007-01-01 |publisher=Global Justice Center] , research and reporting on the human rights abuses of the military government, lobbying the U.N. Security Council for intervention, and more. The Women's League of Burma is the only women's political organization involved in the constitution-drafting activities of the pro-democracy movement, the Federal Constitution Drafting Coordinating Committee, supported by the Center for Constitutional Democracy in Plural Societies at Indiana University's Law School. [cite web|url=http://ccdps.indiana.edu/projects/burma.shtml |title=Burma Program of the Center for Constitutional Democracy in Plural Societies |accessdate=2007-05-21 |date=2007-05-21 |publisher=Indiana Law School] The Women's League of Burma member organizations include the Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN), the Karen Women's Organization (KWO), the Burmese Women's Union (BWU) and the Kachin Women's Association - Thailand (KWAT), among others.

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