The mechanisms of oppression and exclusion in Burma may be exceedingly harsh, but they do not deter Burma's youth from challenging the military junta in new and creative ways.
On Burma's 62nd Independence Day (January 4th), residents of Mon and Shan states woke up to find anti-regime graffiti sprawled across the main roads and public spaces: the work of brave Mon and Shan youth. In another part of the country, a group of young Burmese artists, called Generation Wave, use hip-hop and graffiti to inspire the youth to stand up to authority. Such acts of defiance can lead to arrest, torture, and lengthy jail sentences.
Despite this reality, Burma's youth continue to dare to do what is right for their country, unfazed by the enormity of the risks involved. The destruction of villages, systematic rape against ethnic women, forced labor, forced conscription, and arbitrary killings by the Burma Army are an everyday reality for many of these youth.
Show your solidarity with these brave youth by supporting international action to end mass atrocities in Burma. One way to help halt the violence is to establish a UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma.
Email your Representative and urge them to co-sponsor House Resolution 898, which calls on the Obama administration to take concrete action on Burma by establishing a UN Commission of Inquiry. The culture of impunity in Burma needs to end! Do your part to make it happen!
Sincerely,
Michael Haack
Campaigns Coordinator
U.S. Campaign for Burma
Support 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and the struggle for freedom and democracy in Burma:
