By Joshua Carroll
RANGON
Human Rights Watch is calling for Myanmar’s leaders to reject a “discriminatory” marriage law put forward by Buddhist nationalists, saying it would harm women’s rights and inflame ethnic tensions in the country.
The US-based campaign group called on President Thein Sein and National Assembly Speaker U Thura to slap down the legislation, adding that the government was “playing with fire” by even considering it.
The proposals, spearheaded by monks from the anti-Muslim 969 movement and supported by others, would prevent Buddhist women marrying anyone who wasn’t from the same religion.
Non-Buddhists would have to convert to the faith and seek permission from the woman’s parents before marrying if the law were passed.
HRW Asia Director Brad Adams described the proposals as an attempt to enshrine “blatant discrimination at the heart of Burmese family law."
“This law would strip away from women their right to freely decide whom to marry, and would mark a major reversal for religious freedom and women’s rights in Burma,” he added, using Myanmar’s former name to refer to the country.
The 969 movement, partly led by notorious monk Wirathu, has been accused of stoking anti-Muslim hatred in the wake of riots and massacres that have killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands in the country since 2012.
The law appears to have some popular support in Myanmar, where a petition in favour of restricting marriage along similar lines attracted 1.3 million signatures last year.
Adams said that in “ethnically and culturally diverse Burma, government leaders are playing with fire by even considering proposals that would further divide the country by restricting marriage on religious lines.”
He also called on “donors and development partners who care about progress towards human rights and democracy in Burma” to demand a halt to the “shocking law.”
According to HRW, the law violates an article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that protects women from discrimination.
“Governments have an obligation to eliminate discrimination against women in matters relating to marriage,” the group said in a statement.
It added that Myanmar’s constitution bars discrimination based on gender.
The law’s supporters claim it is intended to “preserve the national race and religion.”
Three other pieces of legislation submitted by the monk-led coalition are under consideration - a restriction on polygamy and religious conversion, and rules on population control.
Thein Sein has recommended all four laws for consideration by parliament.
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