Myanmar drafts new laws to protect women’s rights

After half a century of military rule, Myanmar is finally opening up to the world and starting out by trying to protect basic women’s rights. Women are generally considered second-grade citizens in the country, and till now, very few laws exist to protect them from any type of violence or discrimination.

According to the details provided, Myanmar’s government is drafting several law, one of which could see men jailed for up to seven years for getting a woman pregnant but not marrying her.

The Director of the social welfare department, Naw Tha Wah, also stated that the new law would also criminalize domestic violence for the first time and it will make gang-rape a capital offense.

“We are now drafting a bill to protect women and prevent violence against them,” said Naw Tha Wah. “Women can complain if they are bullied into not getting married after living together. We will give them protection under the law.”

If the bill is passed in parliament, it will carry a penalty of up to five years in prison for any man who refuses to marry a woman after the two have lived together and he may face up to seven years, if he gets her pregnant and later does not marry her.

The provision of these new laws is part of tough new legislation which is designed to strengthen women’s rights in the country. In Myanmar, which is a Buddhist-majority conservative country, gender stereotypes are deeply entrenched and women are not given the same rights as men.

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Posted by fatimaarshad on Dec 29 2016. Filed under Latest News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.