May Sabai Phyu facts for kids

May Sabe Phyu (Burma) accepts the International Women of Courage Award in 2015

May Sabai Phyu (Burmese: မေစံပယ်ဖြူ, also known as May Sabe Phyu) is an activist from Myanmar (Burma). She is from the Kachin ethnic group. May Sabe Phyu works hard to promote human rights, which are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person. She also champions freedom of speech, peace, and fairness for Myanmar's many ethnic groups. She actively fights against violence in Kachin State and works to stop violence against women, promoting equal rights for everyone.

Early Life and Family

May Sabe Phyu was born in Yangon, Myanmar, on August 5, 1976. Her mother was Kachin, and her father was Burmese. She is the oldest of four children. She is married to Patrick Kum Ja Lee, and they have three children: two daughters and one son.

Education and Early Work

May Sabe Phyu studied Mathematics at the University of Distance Education in Yangon. Later, she earned a master's degree in Gender and Development Studies from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. For her master's project, she studied how a large dam project in Kachin State affected the health of women and men.

She has worked with important organizations like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a health education specialist. She also worked with Doctors Without Borders (MSF-Holland), where she helped people living with HIV/AIDS by providing counseling and health education.

Helping After Cyclone Nargis

In 2008, a very strong storm called Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar. May Sabe Phyu played a key role in forming a group called the Women's Protection Technical Working Group. This group was created to help people, especially women, who were struggling after the storm.

The cyclone changed many families, and many households were left without a male head, often with women becoming widows. The group focused on providing safe homes, health education, job training, and support networks. Thanks to their efforts, conditions for these vulnerable women improved greatly within a year and a half.

Working for Gender Equality

After the disaster relief work was stable, the Working Group became the Gender Equality Network. May Sabe Phyu became a Senior Coordinator for this network. In 2012, this group helped the government create a plan to improve the lives of women across the country.

As a leader of the Gender Equality Network, May Sabe Phyu speaks out for women's rights and equality. She helps guide the network's plans to create fair national policies. She has also helped the network do important research to understand and solve problems.

Important Research Projects

May Sabe Phyu helped the network create two important research projects:

• Understanding Violence Against Women: One study, called "Behind the Silence: Violence Against Women and their Resilience," looked at how violence affects women in Myanmar. It was one of the first studies to deeply examine different types of violence, its effects, and how women cope.
• Culture and Gender Equality: Another study, "Raising the Curtain: Cultural Norms, Social Practices and Gender Equality in Myanmar," explored how cultural and religious beliefs affect women and men in Myanmar. It looked at stereotypes and how they impact women in areas like work, education, and media. This study suggested ways to change harmful cultural practices that stop women from achieving their full potential.

New Laws for Women's Safety

Through the network, May Sabe Phyu is helping to create Myanmar's first law to prevent violence against women. This new law aims to make different types of violence illegal and provide ways for victims to get help and justice. It also includes plans for education and training programs. The proposed law covers issues that were not addressed before, like certain types of harm within marriage or family, and violence that happens online.

Facing Challenges as an Activist

May Sabe Phyu has also been a strong voice against certain laws that were passed in 2015, known as the "Race and Religion Protection Laws." She believed these laws could limit people's freedom of religion and unfairly target minority groups. During her campaign against these laws, she faced many difficult challenges.

Promoting Peace in Kachin State

When fighting started again between the Kachin Independence Organization and the Myanmar army in 2012, May Sabe Phyu helped start the Kachin Peace Network and the Kachin Women Peace Network. These groups work to raise awareness about people who have been forced to leave their homes because of the conflict. She believes in building trust between different ethnic groups and wants women to be part of the peace process to end the civil war.

She organized the first public event to bring attention to the issues of displaced people in the news. She also arranged trips for media to visit the camps where these people lived. After a peaceful protest in Yangon calling for an end to the civil war, May Sabe Phyu and another organizer faced legal charges. They had to appear in court many times over 14 months before the charges were eventually dropped or they paid small fines.

Family Challenges

On October 14, 2015, while May Sabe Phyu was traveling for her advocacy work, her husband, Patrick Kum Jaa Lee, was arrested at their home. He was sent to a prison without a proper warrant. He was accused of criticizing a high-ranking official online. Unlike May Sabe Phyu, Patrick Kum Jaa Lee was a humanitarian worker and had not been known for speaking out against the government or military before. In January 2016, he was found guilty and sentenced to six months in prison. This event showed the pressure and challenges faced by activists who speak out.

May Sabe Phyu is a well-known activist who has criticized laws that she believes are unfair. Because of her work, she and other activists have faced strong criticism. Her work to build peace among different ethnic and religious groups means she must speak out against unfairness, which has sometimes caused difficulties for her family.

She also speaks at workshops in Myanmar to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and to promote human rights for everyone.

Awards and Recognition

For her strong leadership in fighting for equal rights for women and ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar, May Sabe Phyu received the International Women of Courage Award from the United States in 2015. She was the second woman from Myanmar to receive this important award.

Many news outlets, both local and international, have recognized her as an inspiring woman leader who is helping to change Myanmar's society. In September 2015, she was also honored by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Alumni Association in Thailand, where she earned her master's degree.

In 2018, she studied at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in the United States. She was a Mason fellow in a program for public administration.

See also

In Spanish: May Sabai Phyu para niños