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Charm Tong

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Charm Tong
Born1981 (age 42–43)
Shan State,Burma
NationalityBurmese
OccupationTeacher
OrganizationShan Women's Action Network
Known forHuman rights activism
AwardsStudent Peace Prize(2007)
Global Leadership Award(2008)

Charm Tong(born in 1981,Shan State,Burma) is aShanteacher and human rights activist. She is head of the School for Shan State Nationalities Youth in NorthernThailand.Charm Tong is also one of the founders ofShan Women's Action Network,which published the 2002 reportLicense to Rape.[1]For many years Charm helped refugees find school in Thailand.[2]

Background and work with Shan Women's Action Network[edit]

When Charm Tong was six years old, her family left Shan State to escape the ongoing fighting between Shan forces and the Tatmadaw (Burmese state military), part of Burma'songoing internal conflicts.[3]The family then took up residence in arefugeecamp on the Thai-Burma border, enrolling her in a Catholic orphanage.[1][4]She began her work as a human rights activist at the age of 16.[1]The following year, she spoke before theUnited Nations Commission on Human Rightsin Geneva about issues facing Shan women, particularly the use ofsystematic rapeas a weapon of war.[5]Tong also receivedMarie ClaireWomen of the Year Award and theReebok Human Rights Award.[6]She speaks different languages including English, Thai,Mandarinas well as her native Shan.[7]

In 2002, the Shan Women's Action Network published its reportLicense to Rape: The Burmese military regime's use of sexual violence in the ongoing war in Shan State,which attempted to document "173 incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence, involving 625 girls and women, committed by Burmese army troops in Shan State."[8]The report describes "systematic and widespread incidence of rape" and includes 28 detailed interviews with rape survivors.[8]Its publication attracted global attention to the issue of sexual violence in Burma's internal conflicts.[4][9]The Burmese military government, theState Peace and Development Council,denied the report's findings, stating that insurgents are responsible for violence in the region.[10]

International recognition[edit]

On 31 October 2005, Charm Tong visited the White House to discuss the Burmese political situation with US presidentGeorge W. Bush,National Security AdvisorStephen J. Hadleyand other senior US officials.[10][11]"I am very happy... to break the silence of what is happening to the people of Burma", she told reporters afterward.[10]CongressmanTom Lantos,co-founder of theCongressional Human Rights Caucus,predicted that Charm Tong's 50 minutes with Bush "would reverberate around the world".[10]The Irrawaddywrote in December of that year that lobbyists were attributing Bush's subsequent "outspokenness on Burma" to "the Charm Tong Effect".[12][13]

For her work in investigating and publicizing abuses against Shan women by theBurmese military,Charm Tong received theMarie Claire Women of the World Awardin 2004[14]andThe Reebok Human Rights Awardin 2005.[3]She also received the 2007Student Peace Prize,which was awarded to her at theInternational Student Festival in Trondheim.[5]In 2008, she was given aVital VoicesGlobal Leadership Awardin the area of human rights, which she shared withKhin Ohmarof theWomen's League of Burma.[15]The award was presented by US First LadyLaura Bush.[9]Charm Tong received some international awards including Marie Claire Women of the Year and theReebok Human Rights Award.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcCharm Tong (2005)."Burma - Charm Tong".Front Line.Retrieved2 May2011.
  2. ^Charm Tong
  3. ^ab"Charm Tong".reebok. 2005.Retrieved2 May2011.
  4. ^ab"Charm Tong".Vital Voices. Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2011.Retrieved2 May2011.
  5. ^ab"The 2007 Student Peace Prize".The Student Peace Prize. 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-03-02.Retrieved2 May2011.
  6. ^Charm Tong: Role of International Pressure
  7. ^Charm Tong: mobilizing for an inclusive and democratic Burma
  8. ^abThe Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) and The Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN) (2002)."License to Rape"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 30 July 2013.Retrieved2 May2011.
  9. ^abLaura Bush (7 April 2008)."Mrs. Bush's Remarks at Vital Voices Awards Ceremony".whitehouse.archives.gov.Retrieved2 May2011.
  10. ^abcdWarren Vieth (13 November 2005)."Personal Tales of Struggle Resonate With President".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2 May2011.
  11. ^Photograph of Charm Tong meeting George W. Bush
  12. ^"The Faces of Burma 2005".The Irrawaddy.December 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-01-23.Retrieved2 May2011.
  13. ^"US to Intensify Pressure on Burma".The Irrawaddy.January 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-12-25.Retrieved2 May2011.
  14. ^"The Importance of Burmese Exiles".The Irrawaddy.8 February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-01-23.Retrieved2 May2011.
  15. ^"Past Global Leadership Awards".VitalVoices.org. 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2011.Retrieved13 May2011.
  16. ^Charm Tong: Role of International Pressure

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charm_Tong&oldid=1210083575"