Take The Moment And Make It Perfect.''
HLA HLA YEE is a high cheekbonned ,pretty and energetic young woman born in the family of provincial landowners and was expected to follow her four brothers and four sisters into the business world or a profession. But a high school visit to a local court room changed her.
'' I was shocked by the way the officials and even the lawyers pushed the poorer people
around They were shouting at them and bullying them demanding bribes. I saw people looking so frightened and confused looking. It was so obvious that they do not have a clue what was going on.''
Hla Hla Yee decided on the spot to become a lawyer. “Actually, I decided that day to be a judge,” she laughs. “I thought, if I was a judge, I could stop this happening!” What she lacked in years, though, it seems she made up in courage. When a cousin of the family was beaten so badly by her husband that she went deaf in one ear, Hla Hla Yee took it upon herself to go to see him. “I told her he couldn’t hit her any more. I told him if he carried on, I’d bring him to the court,” she remembers. Her face breaks into an infectious grin. “He never beat her again after that!” One day a senior female lawyer told her about a woman’s empowerment programme being run by ActionAid in partnership with the British Council. The programme involved the women leadership course which taught Hla Hla Yee about the international treaties that protect women’s rights. The course also taught presentation and training skills, such as how to use strong body language, how to work with a group, and how to speak in public. She was so inspired that she resigned from her job on the spot and decided to start a free legal advice clinic for women. Her colleagues at the law firm were taken aback. Even her parents, always proud to have a lawyer in the family, asked her why she would give up a position in a private firm in favour of something that wouldn’t pay. It was nerve-wracking at first, she says, turning up on her own to train groups of people about gender violence and sexual harassment law. And simply telling women about their rights in law doesn’t solve the problems they face from apathetic or downright hostile police and corrupt courts. “Often, the police just say it’s a domestic matter and won’t take it seriously. If a woman takes a man to court, male judges often dismiss the case,” she says Hla Hla Yee’s legal clinic is now actively advocating an anti-violence-against-women law in Myanmar and has become a member of the Gender Equality Network, which ActionAid co-chairs.
NAVLEEN KAUR
Class X
Bal Bharati Public School
Ludhiana
I had no doubt that women are great achievers if they are given chance but on reading these articles I have reached the conclusion that women can achieve anything once they decide to do so .Hat's off to Hla Hla Yee who has worked against all odds to achieve success.
ReplyDeleteI salute these great womens like Hla Hla Yee,Dr.Fahmida Mirza and Malala Yusufzai
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The achievements of these women have inspired and invigorated me. I used to feel suffocated when I was told by my elders not to do this or that but on reading about these great leaders I feel that I can achieve anything if I determine to do so. My goal in life is to be a lawyer. on reading about Hla Hla Yee my dream found wings. I am sure that I can go ahead to get my goal.
ReplyDeleteWomen world wide are stronger than men in determination and grit. They may be weak physically but not mentally. Muscle power fails when brain and spirit come to foreplay.
ReplyDelete