Background

 

Thaungyin Mae Institute is a women-led, non-profit civil society group. It was founded on May 1, 2024, in

Mae Sot, Tak Province, Thailand, near the Thailand-Myanmar border.

The institute was formed by a group of lawyers and a Judge who fled Myanmar due to threats, arbitrary

arrests, and persecution by the military regime and a judge who was involved in the Civil Disobedience

Movement (CDM). These lawyers had previously provided free legal aid to political prisoners after the

2021 military coup. The organization started with six members.

The main objective of Thaungyin Mae Institute is to protect and promote the rights of women, girls, migrant

workers, and human trafficking survivors, some arrive at the Myanmar-Thailand border for various reasons.

In 2024, the group actively provided legal consultations via the Hmyata Lann Hynun social media

platform for women facing domestic violence, rape cases, sexual violence cases, and human trafficking

cases. Additionally, it shares legal awareness content on its social media pages. It conducts online training

on Myanmar's judicial system and complaint mechanisms for displaced women, women-led organizations,

female parliamentarians, and Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs members.

Furthermore, the institute collaborates with partner organizations to data collect and legally analyze

information on human rights violations in Myanmar, aligning findings with both domain and international

laws to advocate by reports. In Mae Sot, the organization conducts human rights training, including sessions

on CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women), anti-human

trafficking laws, and labor rights for women, girls, LGBTQ+ individuals, and migrant workers.

Thaungyin Mae Institute is committed to social justice initiatives centered on women's rights, supporting

the development of a peaceful and inclusive society. It also strives toward the emergence of a federal

democratic Myanmar in the future.