Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT)
Thai-Burma Border
Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) is a community-based organization that provides leadership training for women living in the Kachin state of Burma and provides educational programs to increase awareness of gender, women’s rights, health, and environmental protection. In addition, KWAT advocates for increased female involvement in local politics and peace-making. KWAT was formed as a response to the difficulties Kachin women faced as they fled violence and instability in Burma and settled in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. The organization works with women in the city of Chiang Mai and its surrounding villages in Thailand where the Kachin exile population is the largest.
KWAT also engages refugee women in human rights advocacy, recently publishing a report on child rights: Driven Away: Trafficking of Kachin Women on the China-Burma Border. KWAT also sponsors grassroots publications and health education programs for the Kachin community. Realizing that addressing basic human rights issues faced by women and children on the Thai-Burma boarder is not just a question of policy, but also of access to resources, KWAT initiated a new program to provide refugee women with the means and skills to produce and sell Kachin crafts. Sale of the crafts not only generates income so that the women can become economically self-sufficient, but also supports KWAT’s notable human rights work in the region.
The Kachin People
The Kachin state is the northernmost state in Burma. Traditionally an agricultural community, the Kachin people depend on their farmland to survive. However, the oppressive Burmese military has seized Kachin land to sell to multinational companies or has simply denied access without a permit. The companies use the land for cash crop farming or jade and gold mining, both of which contribute greatly to environmental degradation and deforestation in the area and hurt the Kachin community’s ability to earn a living.
Since its alliance with Communist China in the 1960s, the Kachin state has had a tense relationship with the military regime. In recent years, military harassment has grown to a new level and the community has suffered forced labor, sexual violence, and other human rights violations. This suffering paired with economic insecurity has caused a large migration of the Kachin people to Thailand.
Kachin Weaving and Textiles
Kachin weaving and textile making is a centuries old craft. Patterns and styles differ widely across Burmese ethnic groups. Kachin cloth stands out with its bright flowery and checked designs and silver and gold thread embroidery. These styles are embodied in the miniature dolls made by Refugee women along the Thai-Burmese border and sold by GGP. Each doll’s body is made from tightly wound thread; the clothes are hand-woven with traditional Burmese cloth; and the faces are hand-painted. Through teaching Kachin women the skills to make these dolls and other crafts, KWAT works to preserve the culture of an exiled people while empowering women to take control of their lives.
