Kam Khant Tine

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Starting Point

Kam Khant Tine works at the Social Action for Community Change (SACC), Myanmar. As a CSO worker, she has been involved in issues related to women and children. As a lawyer who values rights, she recognises that there are still loopholes in implementing the existing laws in our country. Therefore, she continues to provide legal awareness. Even now, she is involved in the mediation sector and wants to help in any way she can. Her favourite icons are- “Esther” from the Bible, and Mother Teresa, as they are towards helping others and expecting nothing in return.

Peace Journey

From 2012 to 2015, she participated in capacity building to implement the CEDAW process. In 2016, she went to New York to observe for a week at the United Nations. She was then with ZI USA, the Zarni Independent USA, and their Chin National Group. In 2017, she could lead an NGO in Yangon. Her organisation volunteers in the necessary sectors. She worked for “Child Rights.”

Due to a lack of transparency, she assumed that the NCA processes are continuing. She wishes for the people to be able to return to their homes and live peacefully as they did before. This includes the desire for children to be able to return to school. She has studied the previous efforts to move towards a federal system and the ceasefire agreements. The fact that the country could sign the NCA was a significant achievement for that period. It was beneficial since they could widely conduct awareness programs related to crisis management in her region. As a CSO, they also provided awareness on child rights to the local communities, helped them solve various difficulties, arranged for shelter in churches if they faced accommodation challenges, and provided basic commodities like rice, oil, and salt when needed. She believes having local leaders in ethnic regions would be more beneficial for peace, as they already understand and are familiar with the region's traditions.

Success Stories

With regard to her success, it was a pleasure for her to take part in training classes on “Child Rights.” On the other hand, it has made the children bold, displaying great initiative, unlike before. The lesson she has learnt is that she has been a little forceful without explaining them in their dialect first, thus belittling them unintentionally. 

Regarding the challenges, there is no “Awareness Raising Program” in her place. It is not easy to make them understand even their rights. In other words, they showed little or no appreciation of her talk or advice. The only place she can do so is at the church. Moreover, unemployment and lack of income for women are big problems too. Much to everyone’s surprise, her native town “Tedim” located in Chin State of Western Myanmar, turns out to be still living with provisions of Customary Laws such as daughters not entitled for inheritance; arranged marriages; wife to return to her parents’ home when husband dies and enduring whatever the husband does to her for instance – beatings under drunk and betrayal. In short, women have no voice at all. 

Despite all her untiring efforts, women in her region rush into marriage. Moreover, they never know when they will get involved in the peace process. She pointed out that the law is not effective, and the police are not doing their jobs. Hence, there is no way to control it, but it must be controlled only by religious teachings.