Female awareness of election lacking in Karenni state, says NGO

Female awareness of election lacking in Karenni state, says NGO
by -
Kantarawaddy Times

Loikawa -Women from rural areas in Karenni State lack knowledge about the coming election compared to men with local traditions and customs limiting their opportunities to attend and participate in election discussions, says Ma Domènica from the Regional Development Network on Election Knowledge.

“One thing for sure, both the men and women aren’t interested, but you can say women lack interest more than men. When we told them to check the voter list, they asked us what can they do,” said Ma Domènica.

Ma Domènica and her NGO colleagues made the aforementioned observation while giving educational courses on the election and the constitution in some villages in Hpruso Township and Demoso Township.

The majority of women have been too busy to attend public meetings and courses given by social organizations and they assumed that it was the men’s duty to attend them, Ma Domènica claimed.

According to reports from NGOs, most women have been unable to attend public meetings for the development of wards and villages and courses given by social organizations due to their busy schedule and a widely held believe that it is man's duty to attend such things. Women in rural areas also have a lack of general lack of awareness about their rights.  All reasons why they failed to attend educational courses on the elections.

U Thè Reh, a candidate running for a Lower House seat from Hpruso Township thinks that women are reluctant to attend political events after decades of oppression.

“They are afraid to go to the front due to political oppression in successive eras.  Also, they think politics is scary. So, there is a lack of participation,” said U Thè Reh.

Daw Ci Ci Hlyar from Hoya Village said the most women remain unaware that they could check the voter list even though amendments were being made for the final voter list between September 18th and 27th.

“The voter lists were posted, but they didn’t know they needed to check them. They thought they will just go and vote on the Election Day,” she said.

She explained that this was related to women not being given a role in meetings due to local traditions and customs. When political parties campaign in their villages, most of the audiences are men as men go out to such events while women largely stayed at home.

“I don’t know what they talked about that day. I was cooking at home. My husband went to the rally,” said Daw Raw Zar a housewife from Hoya Village tract.

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