TWA celebrates its 37th re-establishment anniversary

DHARAMSALA, 10 Sept: Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) urged the world leaders and Tibet support groups all over the world to press China to resume the stalled Sino-Tibet dialogue to resolve the Tibetan issue as it commemorated the 37th anniversary of its re-establishment today here in the exile headquarters of the Tibetan people. 

The event was attended by Nangsa Choedon, the former Secretary of Central Tibetan Administration as the Chief Guest along with Kunga Tsering, the Tibetan Settlement Officer (TSO) of Dharamsala, and representatives of the Tibetan NGOs.

“To commemorate the occasion. first of all, we salute and honor those brave martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tibet and in particular remember and pay our respect to those brave women from the three provinces of Tibet who stood in unison and voluntarily partook in the peaceful procession to raise their voice against China’s illegal occupation of Tibet on 12th March 1959 and sacrificed their lives,” TWA stated in their press release. 

The women’s group also honored its founding members for their tireless efforts in “re-establishing Tibetan Women’s Association in exile at such a difficult time with limited resources on 10th September 1984 under the noble guidance of H.H The 14th Dalai Lama.”

The women’s group, one of the oldest and the largest non-governmental organizations of the exile Tibetan community also announced the appointment of one of the group’s executive members and three staff members to assist the Tibetan Women Helpline desk that provides counseling and guidance to the victims of domestic violence and harassment among others.

TWA has collaborated with the Women Empowerment Desk, CTA, Tibetan Women’s Association to initiate the Tibetan Women Helpline desk and it maintained that “considering the importance of the desk,” the desk has to be expanded.

The desk has so far provided guidance and help to about 24 women in need the organization said and maintained that “we are planning to gradually start the facility in other regional chapters in near future too.

Calling out China for the deteriorating situation in Tibet under Beijing’s repressive rule, the organization said, “the basic human rights of Tibetans in Tibet are entirely violated and human rights situation in Tibet is deteriorating day by day.”

 “The continuous enforcement of extremely heinous and brutal repressive policies of China is obvious from the recent accounts of the forceful shutting down of many monasteries including historic Kharmar monastery in Gansu province, closing down of schools in Tibet, arbitrary arrest and detention of Tibetan teachers on baseless allegations, uninformed checking of even self-owned mobiles, banning of traditionally held horse riding gatherings and arresting and imprisoning of individuals upon merely keeping portraits of the Dalai Lama.”

TWA was founded on the bedrock of the March 12, 1959 women’s uprising in Tibet- when Tibetan women gathered together in their thousands to protest against the illegal occupation of their homeland in Lhasa after the Tibetan National Uprising. The organization was then re-established on 10 September 1984 in exile. 

TWA now has 58 Regional Chapters across the world in Asia, America, Europe, and Australia with over 20000 members.