Webinar Description:
This webinar featured five women human rights defenders (WHRDs) participating in nonviolent struggles for rights, democracy and peace. Based in Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, webinar speakers Evy, Nilda, Ei Mon, Yin Lae and Memee are all contributors to the REACT Activist Writing blog series, “Voices of Resilience: Women Defending Human Rights in Southeast Asia“, powered by ActionAid Denmark.
In this webinar, we heard how WHRDs are organizing in environments that are extremely hostile towards human rights activism. Speakers highlighted how they are navigating unique challenges they face as women, both young and elderly. Beyond movement organizing, these women HRDs engage in writing, knowledge sharing and solidarity building, namely intergenerational solidarity.
Presenters’ ideas, experiences, stories and analysis were particularly relevant to activists facing similar challenges in any region of the world, as well as policymakers and civil society actors working with movements.
This webinar took place on October 16, 2024. Check out the full REACT Research-in-Action series powered by ActionAid Denmark.
About the Speakers:
Nitchakarn Rakwongrit (Memee) Nitchakarn Rakwongrit (Memee) is a young feminist activist based in Bangkok, Thailand. She became involved in the Thai pro-democracy protests in 2020 and has been actively engaged in activism ever since. Despite her young age, she has faced political prosecution in at least seven cases, with five occurring when she was still a minor. Currently, Memee is actively involved with the Milk Tea Alliance Thailand and strives to incorporate feminism and collective culture into social movements.
Read her REACT blog post:
Evy Zulyani is a history graduate working in the fields of communication and knowledge management. After graduating, she focused on labor, human rights and gender issues. Her research was published in the 2020 edition of the Indonesian Feminist Journal, focusing on women migrant workers. She is also an active member of the Asia solidarity movement, known as the Milk Tea Alliance. Currently, Evy serves as an education and research coordinator at the Media and Creative Industry Workers Union for Democracy (SINDIKASI). In her free time, she enjoys walking to explore the city and making zines.
Read her REACT blog post:
Ei Mon Soe is Rakhine, one of the ethnic minority groups in Myanmar. She is currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She decided to drop out of university as a form of civil disobedience after the 2021 coup, with a strong will to pursue her education in a democratic country and not under military rule. She was actively involved in anti-coup, pro-democracy protest against the military junta in 2021. She is currently a data science junior student at Parami University (Myanmar) while working as a teaching assistant at Spring University Myanmar (SUM), which was established after the coup to support interim education youths.
Read her REACT blog post:
As a human rights defender for over fifty years, Nilda Sevilla steadfastly worked for institutional reforms and societal justice in the Philippines. She taught political science in college before, during and after the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. At the height of the resistance to the repressive regime, she helped organize a faculty union, serving as its president and achieving legal victory for her illegally dismissed colleagues. As Co-chairperson of the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) and as legislative staff chief in the House of Representatives, she actively participated in lawmaking that led to landmark human rights laws notably against enforced disappearance and torture, on death penalty prohibition, and giving martial law victims recognition and reparation, among others.
Read her REACT blog post:
As a young woman from one of the ethnic minorities in Myanmar, Yin Lae Aung started her activism during at university and worked for academic freedom and environmental issues. After the 2021 coup in Myanmar, she mobilized and organized youth protests against the military dictatorship, including boycotting education under junta control and joining art strikes. When the military government threatened and attempted to arrest her because of her activism, she was forced to flee to the border area in Thailand. She initiated Rangoon Voice-Cast (RVC), a platform for marginalized voices, youth and the working-class community.
Read her REACT blog post:
About the moderator:
Maneesh Pradhan is guest editor of the REACT series “Voices of Resilience: Struggles and Triumphs of Women Human Rights Defenders in Southeast Asia”. He is a passionate advocate for social and ecological justice, with over 20 years of experience in international development and human rights. A firm believer in the power of collective actions, he has an extensive background in collaborating with human rights defenders and building alliances with social movements across Asia. His track record includes strategic planning, rights-based advocacy, campaigning and organizational development. As a pragmatic critical thinker who champions the praxis approach, Maneesh currently serves as the Asia Regional Coordination Lead at ActionAid International, based in Nepal. In his free time, he enjoys music, poetry, and sharing reflections on life through his blog.
