Dispatches: Denying Freedom of Choice in Burma | Human Rights Watch
Dispatches: Denying Freedom of Choice in Burma | Human Rights Watch
Buddhist women in Burma should not be stripped of their right to freedom of choice in life-changing matters like marriage. Yet that is precisely what U Wirathu, a nationalist Buddhist monk, is pushing Burma’s parliament to do.
Wirathu is mobilizing about 5,000 monks for a meeting in Mandalay to discuss the proposal. Last year, Wirathu and his followers proposed that the Buddhist marriage law be amended to require that any Buddhist woman who wants to marry a non-Buddhist man get her parents’ written permission and prove this to local authorities. The groom should also convert to Buddhism. Failure to comply could spell doom for the couple – the groom could face 10 years in prison and have all his property confiscated. He could also be prosecuted under the Burmese penal code.
The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and the Myanmar Women’s Affairs Federation should denounce the proposal as discriminatory. Article 22 of Burma’s constitution guarantees everyone equality before the law without discrimination based on sex, race, or religion.
