Bias Against Women Persists in Kayah

One such discrimination is the ritual of “cleansing the village,” which is held whenever a female resident gets pregnant outside of marriage or after she is raped, Mu Innocent, associate secretary of the Karenni State Youth, told The Myanmar Times.

The ritual involves the slaughter of pigs and hens and distributing them to villagers.

The violence perpetrated against the female victim is not reported to the police to keep the family and community from losing face, according to Mu Innocent.

“Women have to undergo the ritual compensation practice, without having the right to complain,” she said.

“Even family members discriminate against them.”

She said the lack of legal awareness is believed to be a major barrier for women to get justice in such cases.

Rosy Paul, a member of the Kayaw Culture and Literature Association Committee, said most of the families in the villages give priority to sons over daughters. The men have a much larger inheritance than women.

Parents consider their daughters as “outsiders” in the family because they will eventually get married to outside men, she said.

“There are no traditional laws or modern laws to support and protect women in our community,” Rosy Paul said.

“This situation makes society view women as weak, but we can do everything men can do if we are given the same chance.”

According to the 2014 census, there are 143,414 women and 143,213 men in Kayah State.

Over 150 people, including women from Kayah, Kayan, Kawyaw (Manumanaw), Yantale, Geba and Kayaw gathered in Loikaw on February 28 to attend the First Women’s Forum of Native Ethnic Races of Kayah in a bid to tackle traditional gender discrimination.

Its results will be submitted to the leaders of the ethnic groups in Kayah State, said Ko Kyaw Htin Aung, director of LAIN Technical Support Group, which provided assistance to the forum.

The results were presented at the discussions on native ethnic groups held from Thursday to Saturday, Ko Kyaw Htin Aung said.

“These questionable norms will be submitted to ethnic leaders.

“Ethnic groups can discuss these customs and traditions and abolish them if needed,” he said.