Charm Tong
Encyclopedia
Charm Tong is a Shan teacher and human rights activist. She is head of the School for Shan State Nationalities Youth in Northern Thailand
. Charm Tong is also one of the founders of Shan Women's Action Network
(SWAN), which published the 2002 report License to Rape.
. The family then took up residence in a refugee
camp on the Thai-Burma border, enrolling her in a Catholic orphanage. She began her work as a human rights activist at the age of 16. The following year, she spoke before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
in Geneva about issues facing Shan women, particularly the use of systematic rape as a weapon of war.
In 2002, SWAN published its report License 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." The report describes "systematic and widespread incidence of rape" and includes 28 detailed interviews with rape survivors. Its publication attracted global attention to the issue of sexual violence in Burma's internal conflicts. The Burmese military government, the State Peace and Development Council
, denied the report's findings, stating that insurgents are responsible for violence in the region.
, National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley and other senior US officials. "I am very happy ... to break the silence of what is happening to the people of Burma", she told reporters afterward. Congressman Tom Lantos
, co-founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, predicted that Charm Tong's 50 minutes with Bush "would reverberate around the world". The Irrawaddy
wrote in December of that year that lobbyists were attributing Bush's subsequent "outspokenness on Burma" to "the Charm Tong Effect".
For her work in investigating and publicizing abuses against Shan women by the Burmese military, Charm Tong received the Marie Claire Women of the World Award in 2004 and The Reebok Human Rights Award in 2005. She also received the 2007 Student Peace Prize
, which was awarded to her at the International Student Festival in Trondheim
. In 2008, she was given a Vital Voices
Global Leadership Award
in the area of human rights, which she shared with Khin Ohmar
of the Women's League of Burma
.. The award was presented by US First Lady Laura Bush
.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Charm Tong is also one of the founders of Shan Women's Action Network
Shan Women's Action Network
The Shan Women’s Action Network , is a organization of Shan women active in Shan State and Thailand, working to attain gender equality and achieve justice for Shan women in the struggle for social and political change in Burma....
(SWAN), which published the 2002 report License to Rape.
Background and work with SWAN
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's ongoing internal conflictsInternal conflict in Burma
The internal conflict in Burma is a term that is employed to refer to the current violence in Burma that has existed since approximately April 1948 between the Burmese government and the various ethnic groups in the country. More recently, the conflict has been against the military regime that has...
. The family then took up residence in a refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
camp on the Thai-Burma border, enrolling her in a Catholic orphanage. She began her work as a human rights activist at the age of 16. The following year, she spoke before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
in Geneva about issues facing Shan women, particularly the use of systematic rape as a weapon of war.
In 2002, SWAN published its report License 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." The report describes "systematic and widespread incidence of rape" and includes 28 detailed interviews with rape survivors. Its publication attracted global attention to the issue of sexual violence in Burma's internal conflicts. The Burmese military government, the State Peace and Development Council
State Peace and Development Council
The State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma , which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council....
, denied the report's findings, stating that insurgents are responsible for violence in the region.
International recognition
On 31 October 2005, Charm Tong visited the White House to discuss the Burmese political situation with US president George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley and other senior US officials. "I am very happy ... to break the silence of what is happening to the people of Burma", she told reporters afterward. Congressman Tom Lantos
Tom Lantos
Thomas Peter "Tom" Lantos was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death, representing the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a portion of southwest San Francisco...
, co-founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, predicted that Charm Tong's 50 minutes with Bush "would reverberate around the world". The Irrawaddy
The Irrawaddy
This article is about a newsmagazine. For other uses of the term, please see Irrawaddy.For the Second World War battle honour, see Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations...
wrote in December of that year that lobbyists were attributing Bush's subsequent "outspokenness on Burma" to "the Charm Tong Effect".
For her work in investigating and publicizing abuses against Shan women by the Burmese military, Charm Tong received the Marie Claire Women of the World Award in 2004 and The Reebok Human Rights Award in 2005. She also received the 2007 Student Peace Prize
Student Peace Prize
The Student Peace Prize is awarded biennially to a student or a student organization that has made a significant contribution to creating peace and promoting human rights...
, which was awarded to her at the International Student Festival in Trondheim
International Student Festival in Trondheim
ISFiT - The International Student Festival in Trondheim, Norway is the world's largest student festival with a thematic focus. Approximately 450 students from all over the world attend the festival...
. In 2008, she was given a Vital Voices
Vital Voices
Vital Voices Global Partnership is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, women's political participation, and human rights. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C..-History:The nonprofit Vital...
Global Leadership Award
Global Leadership Awards
The Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards honor international women leaders who are working in the fields of human rights, economic empowerment, or political reform. The event takes place annually in early spring at the John F...
in the area of human rights, which she shared with Khin Ohmar
Khin Ohmar
Khin Ohmar is a Burmese democracy activist noted for her leadership in the 8888 Uprising and her work with the Women's League of Burma and the Burma Partnership....
of the Women's League of Burma
Women's League of Burma
The 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...
.. The award was presented by US First Lady Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
.
External links
- Biography from Inter Pares
- Biography from the Student Peace Prize SecretariatStudent Peace Prize SecretariatThe Student Peace Prize Secretariat is a voluntary student organisation in Trondheim that administrates the Student Peace Prize selection process...
- License to Rape, SWAN report to which Charm Tong was a contributing author