The Karenni National Women's Organization (KNWO) has addressed over 60 cases of violence against women in Karenni State this year, as reported by Maw ParehMyar, the organization's Secretary No. 2.

"In reviewing the annual report, we discovered that we addressed over 60 complaints. In Karenni State, we serve as a safehouse for women affected by such incidents. Additionally, there are other organizations assisting with gender-based violence (GBV) cases. Some townships received more than 10 GBV complaints, with certain months witnessing as many as 5 or 6 reported incidents”, she told Kantarawaddy Times.

Among the complaints received by KNWO, instances of psychological violence rank highest, followed by physical and sexual violence. Demoso Township reported the highest number of GBV cases, followed by Loikaw, Shadaw, Mongpai (Moebye), and Pekon.

Maw ParehMyar clarified that while KNWO lacks the authority to address complaints directly based on procedures, it has facilitated connections with relevant organizations and negotiated agreements when feasible, responding to the requests of the victims.

"For example, if there's an incident in a specific internally displaced people (IDP) camp, we start by reaching out to the camp officials. The methods of resolution vary based on local customs. In certain locations, we coordinate with the Karenni State Police (KSP). In areas where ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) have their own judicial procedures, we transfer the case for handling through their established processes”, she explained.

Typically, KNWO addresses over 60 complaints annually, with a satisfactory resolution achieved in more than half of these cases.