I’m motivated to do this work because I have a deep sympathy for the internally displaced people and the suffering they go through,” she said. 

As Centre Manager, Hkawng has a busy schedule: she develops budgets, manages each centre’s activities, arranges outreach activities and plans trainings or group work. 

She noted that the concept of gender-based violence (GBV) was initially a new issue for their clients, but they are now more knowledgeable about GBV. Rape is also a difficult topic to talk about, and even more difficult is rape within marriage. In the beginning, it was awkward because people were not used to trainers saying words such as “sex”. 

Hkawng especially enjoys working with volunteers in camps for internally displaced people. She trains them in handling GBV cases. Volunteers in the camp know the situation well; they know the context and the people. Everyone is willing to work with the volunteers, so more women and girls are willing to come forward with their problems. 

One of Hkawng’s most memorable experiences came when a mother reported that her daughter had been trafficked to China. At that time, Hkawng was not experienced in this field, but she learned rapidly. She discovered that the daughter was not trafficked to China, but had run away because of a misunderstanding with her mother—much to the mother’s relief. 

“My attitudes about gender have changed. I also recognised that there was no gender balance in my own marriage, because I still did most of the work at home. I realised that to address GBV, we need to start with ourselves and change our own attitudes.”