PH Embassy in Yangon Conducts Anti-Sexual Harassment Seminar, Self-Defense Workshop for Filipinos and Myanmar Nationals
Left: Philippine Ambassador to Myanmar Eduardo E. Kapunan, Jr. delivers his welcome remarks. Right: Myanmar Women’s Self Defense Center founder Ms. Evelyn Yu Yu Swe teaches a participant how to escape when someone grabs your wrist. (Yangon PE photo)

YANGON 16 December 2019 — The Philippine Embassy conducted a seminar-workshop on Anti-Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Violence Awareness on 27 November 2019 at the Grand Andaman Hotel for Filipino women in Andaman island and another seminar on anti-sexual harassment with basic self-defense at the Hotel Grand Mercure Yangon Golden Empire on 01 December 2019.

The Embassy invited instructors from the Myanmar Women’s Self Defense Center (MWSDC) to talk about the different types of sexual harassment that can be encountered by women at home, work, or in public places.

The participants were encouraged to share any personal experiences on sexual harassment and lessons learned from those encounters. MWSDC Founder Evelyn Yu Yu Swe discussed what should be done when placed in those situations. MWSDC instructors then taught basic self-defense techniques that the Filipino women can use in order to escape and protect themselves against possible assailants. A total of 29 Filipino women participated in the seminar-workshop.

On the seminar conducted last 01 December 2019, Philippine Ambassador to Myanmar Eduardo E. Kapunan, Jr. explained in his welcome remarks the history of the 16-day action against gender-based violence. He then highlighted how the Philippines’ decision to extend the 16-day campaign to 18 days to end VAW supports the Philippine government’s goal of protecting the human rights of women and by upholding its commitment to address all forms of gender-based violence as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution.

The training workshop was conducted by the Myanmar Women Self-defense Center led by Ms. Evelyn Yu Yu Swe who taught the women participants the types of sexual harassment in the home, workplace and in public places, and the different basic self-defense techniques in order to escape or protect themselves from possible assailants.

A total of 25 men and women participated in the workshop. END

 Speakers from Myanmar Women’s Self Defense Center (MWSDC) discuss sexual harassment with Filipino women in Andaman. (Yangon PE photo)

Left photo: Myanmar Women’s Self Defense Center (MWSDC) Instructor Evelyn Yu Yu Swe asks a participant what she would do in a situation where she was sexually harassed. Right photo: MWSDC Instructor Evelyn teaches a participant how to escape when an assailant puts both arms around you. (Yangon PE photo)

Participants perform warm-up exercises before the basic self-defense training. (Yangon PE photo)

Filipino women participants in Andaman pose for a photo together with Third Secretary and Vice Consul Stephanie Alexis A. Cruz (top row - fourth from right), Embassy Administrative Officer Amalia Abadilla (top row – rightmost), and MWSDC Instructors. (Yangon PE photo)

MWSDC founder and instructor Ms. Evelyn Yu Yu Swe shows participants different ways to escape different positions that an assailant could trap a person in or grab a person. (Yangon PE photo)

The participants pose for a photo with Ambassador Eduardo E. Kapunan, Jr. (center) together with the Philippine Embassy personnel and instructors from Myanmar Women’s Self Defense Center (first five from the left). (Yangon PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.yangonpe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinMyanmar.