Kam Khant Tine

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Starting Point

Ms. Kam Khant Tine works at the Social Action for Community Change (SACC), Myanmar. 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 Myanmar. Therefore, she continues to provide legal awareness. With her current role in the mediation sector, she is eager to assist those who need her expertise. In carrying out her duty, she is inspired by “Esther” from the Bible and Mother Teresa, as they are dedicated to helping others and expecting nothing in return.

Peace Journey

Her experience in this field has been enriched by several trainings. From 2012 to 2015, she participated in capacity building to implement the CEDAW process. In 2016, with ZI USA, the Zarni Independent USA, and the Chin National Group, she travelled to New York to serve as an observer at the United Nations. 

She established a non-governmental organisation in Yangoon in 2017 that worked on the issue of child rights. Her organisation volunteers in the necessary sectors. 

Reflecting on the current conflict, she wishes that the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) processes could still be continued. In her opinion, the fact that the country could sign the NCA was a significant achievement for that period. She has also studied the previous efforts to move towards a federal system and the agreement itself. She argued that it was beneficial to have a ceasefire so that she and other CSO fellows could widely conduct awareness programmes related to crisis management in her region. They also raised awareness about child rights among local communities, assisted them in resolving various difficulties, arranged for shelter in churches when accommodation challenges arose, and provided basic commodities such as rice, oil, and salt as 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.

She is hopeful that people can return to their homes and live peacefully as they did before. So that children can regain access to education. 

Success Stories

Concerning her success, she stated that her participation in training classes on child rights is an achievement as it deepens her knowledge on the issue. The training made her realise that she has been a little forceful without explaining things in the children’s dialect first, thus unintentionally belittling them. When she implemented what she had learned from the training, she observed that it had made the children bolder, displaying great initiative. 

Regarding the challenges, she regretted that there is no awareness-raising programme within her area. Therefore, people are not familiar with it, and it is challenging to explain their rights to them. They even showed little or no appreciation for her talk or advice. The only place she can hold her session is the church. 

Particularly on women’s issues, she observes that unemployment and a lack of income for women are adding to the complexity. As she explained further, her native town of Tedim in Chin State of Western Myanmar, turns out to be still living with provisions of Customary Laws, such as daughters not being entitled to inheritance, arranged marriage practices, and domestic violence. More often, women were unable to voice their concerns. 

Despite all her efforts, women in her region rush into marriage. Moreover, with all the hurdles, they have a slim chance of being involved in the peace process.  The situation worsened as she stated that the law is ineffective and that the police are failing to fulfil their responsibilities. She argued that only religious institutions through its teachings can have control over the current complexities.