As we approached the end of 2020, I sat down to speak with Maggi Quadrini – a human rights activist who works with community based organisations along the Thai-Myanmar border. Her work focuses on issues affecting women, refugees, internally displaced people, and children. Maggi also write about her work and observations in outlets such as The Diplomat, South East Asia Globe and Tea Circle Oxford - where she offers a unique first-hand perspective of human rights issues in the region.

Briefly, originally from Canada with a degree in International Relations, Maggi travelled to teach English in Indonesia. During this time, she volunteered with an organisation that worked with Karenni refugees along the border. She collaborated with students, teaching them leadership skills that they could take back to their communities to start grassroot projects. Later, Maggi moved to the Karenni state in Myanmar to work with a women’s organisation. 

During our talk we discussed:

-        The effect of COVID-19 on women and displaced communities; 

-        Proposals for the government to secure people’s rights;

-        The increasing influence of the military and the threat to human rights; 

-        Myanmar’s “16 days of activisim” campaign; and 

-        Issues to look out for in 2021. 

Whilst COVID-19 has made this year challenging for everyone globally, it has particularly exacerbated Myanmar’s ongoing human rights issues relating to

(i) the military’s growing and unjustified use of power,

(ii) civilians struggling in rural areas, and

(iii) violence against women. 

Check out our conversation below.

Ploy is currently a paralegal in London. She has an LLB from Swansea University and an LLM LPC from BPP University in Cambridge. She is interested in promoting human rights injustices and bringing them into the public domain, with a particular focus on children due to their vulnerable status.

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