Despite the international agreement signed regarding the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) by the ruling Burmese junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) continues with its discrimination against women in Burma, according to a new report.

A report entitled "In the Shadow of the Junta" launched today by the Women's League of Burma (WLB), includes reports of revealing systemic gender discrimination in Burma, which will be used to review the situation in Burma at the 42nd Session of the CEDAW Committee in Geneva on November 3, 2008.

According to the new report, "Women in Burma are facing violence at every level, not only because of historical gender discrimination, but as a direct result of the military rule and the lack of the rule of law".

"The reason for the launch of this CEDAW report was to show that the Burmese military regime's report was not credible and there has been no progress in Burma, even after the government signed the CEDAW in 1997," Tin Tin Nyo, General Secretary of the Burmese Women's Union (BWU) said.

In Burma, most women do not know about the CEDAW and the government does not create awareness among the public. For the betterment of girls and women in Burma, political reform is needed, the General Secretary added.

The report also revealed how the Burmese military regime's failed policies have had a negative impact on women and girls, particularly in the sectors of education, health, rural development and violence against women.

WLB is an umbrella organization comprising of 12 women's organizations of different ethnic backgrounds from Burma. It was established on 9th December, 1999.