Women’s Exchange Program
‘Knowledge is power’ – M. Foucault
There are around 120,000 refugees living on the Thai-Burma border. They have been forced to leave their homes and livelihood in the war-torn state of Burma. A large number of these refugees are women; these women been forced to leave their homes because living under military rule was an endless battle for survival and brought constant fear. Many of these women have been forced to resettle in a land where the language and culture are alien to them. Having lived in a country ruled by the military, they have little knowledge of their rights and are highly vulnerable to exploitation. Employers, for example, may take advantage of their ignorance of the law making them work long hours with minimal pay in unsafe working conditions.
For some women their life has changed quite substantially. A woman on the Thai-Burma border remarks, “Information is a source of power – it makes things happen!” The Women’s Exchange Program (WEP) helps ensure that women are able to make things happen for themselves. The program brings women together to share their experiences, discuss their hardships and plan for a better tomorrow. These monthly meetings enable migrant women from various ethnic backgrounds to come together to learn from each others experiences and build solidarity. According to Jackie Pollock, from the Migrant Assistance Program (MAP), ‘the partnership with IWDA tells women very strongly: you are worthy of support, what you think is important, we respect your decisions’.
How do we go about it?
Monthly WEP Meetings are generally held on Saturdays in communities along the Thai-Burma border and are attended by women from various ethnic backgrounds. Each meeting starts with a catch up where women share news and discuss issues that have arisen in the refugee camp or in their communities inside Burma. A member of the group then facilitates training on various topics, previously determined by the group, on topics such as leadership, violence against women, conflict resolution, HIV/AIDS and more. Members participate in group activities around the topic and the session closes with a discussion to plan for future meetings.
Women say that they feel stronger because they have support and are learning. WEP participants lead the way in developing ‘Automatic Response Mechanism ARM’ which outlines 10 ways to support a woman who has experienced violence or abuse. ARM training program has spread the word beyond WEP meetings in an effort to reduce the prevalence of violence against women in refugee communities. This is just one way that the WEP is bringing tangible benefits to women and their communities.
Refuge for refugees: The IWDA and MAP partnership
The Women’s Exchange Program began in March 1999 and has been instrumental in encouraging women to stand up for their rights. Education about leadership, reproductive health and means they live by choice, not circumstance. The program has built a solid partnership between the MAP Foundation and IWDA.
Women’s Exchange aims to:
- Increase the visibility of women and thereby safety of migrant and refugee women.
- Provide flexible forums for young women to develop.
- Increase the exchange of information and expertise along the border between different ethnic groups.
- Improve the services for victims of violence.
- Strengthen women’s groups by exchanging information on current issues related to women, in particular on issues on forced migration and forced labor.
The WEP model has been highly effective and is currently being adopted by some of IWDA’s project partners in other locations for a variety of purposes.
