Objectives

•      To empower Palaung women to improve their lives

•      To promote and preserve Palaung culture and literature

•      To enable Palaung women to actively participate in the democratic  movement with a full understanding of women's human rights

•      To free Palaung women from all forms of oppression to fully enjoy equal rights

•      To work together with other women's groups from Burma towards peace and democracy in Burma

Background

The Palaung Women's Organization (PWO) was founded on Oct 14, 2000 and is based in Mae Sot. It has 10 committee members and is primarily a network organization, including members that are living inside the Palaung area.

PWO is publishing the Palaung Women’s Journal (Shwe Phi Oo)  that covers issues concerning women in general and Palaung women in particular, and also documents the various abuses they suffer.

 It is working with other women’s organizations to upgrade the skills of the Palaung women in the Mae Sot area, so that they are able to participate in community and political affairs, e.g. in the monthly women’s exchange program. PWO is conducting education programs, such as organizing and sending its members to attend various capacity-building trainings, such as in computer skills, media skills, human rights, medical skills and English language, to acquire and strengthen their abilities, knowledge and experience to be able to work more effectively to fulfill the PWO’s aims and objectives, as well as to participate more broadly within our diverse society and the democratic movement.

PWO knows that women need to be empowered in order to be granted equal status within their communities, and so that policies will then reflect women’s experiences and needs.  Since one of the PWO's target areas is on the China-Burma border, PWO has conducted various trainings, including on human rights, gender, documentation and federalism for Palaung people along the China-Burma border.  Some members have participated in some relevant international workshops and conferences.

Palaung women expose how the failure of drug eradication programs under the military regime in Burma impacts women in their communities    Burmese:
	The Palaung Women's Organization (PWO) has launched a new report entitled "Poisoned Flowers" detailing how increased opium production and addiction is devastating Palaung communities in northern Shan State, exposing the failure of drug eradication programs under the military regime in Burma English: