Who & Where We Fund / Asia
Previous Grantees
Burma
To date, only one grant has been made to the Asia region to the Karen people of Southeast Asia living in Burma. The Karen represent approximately 7% of Burma’s population of 3.5 million and are a minority group suppressed by the Burmese government for fear of their attempts to disrupt power. They have long desired the opportunity to govern themselves, apart from the Burmese government. The Karen formed an army of guerrilla fighters dedicated to protecting the Karen people, and have since been targeted more acutely by the Burmese government. Because of this, all Karen are sought out as potential members of the resistance army and killed as such. To document these vicious human rights abuses, the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) is working directly with rural villagers who are suffering abuses such as forced labor, systematic destruction of villages and crops, forced relocation, extortion, looting, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual assault and summary executions. In addition to these violent atrocities, the Karen also face human rights violations in the areas of health, education, and culture. The vast majority of these abuses are committed by soldiers and officials of the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC), Burma's ruling military junta. KHRG members are working in areas where it is possible to avoid SPDC forces, gathering photos and other evidence and interviewing villagers, the internally displaced, and refugees. By presenting the Karen’s story to the international community, the Karen are gaining greater international attention and support. KHRG’s Human Rights Research and Documentation Project is disseminating Karen language copies of their reports within Karen communities, and through their ‘Village Agency’ workshops are helping villagers identify and strengthen the resistance strategies which they already employ to resist abuse and claim their rights.
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