“This Is Not a Joke” Campaign Event

“𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝.
Because ending a campaign should never mean ending the conversation.

Over the past weeks, we sat in rooms where people listened, learned, questioned, and opened up. We heard stories that were hard, honest, and long overdue.

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, our “𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞” campaign event, held on 𝟓 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 at the 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐧, marked the close of the campaign period and the official beginning of our longer-term initiative.

The event began with opening remarks from our 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐃𝐚𝐰 𝐊𝐲𝐚𝐰𝐭 𝐊𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢 𝐖𝐢𝐧, who highlighted a key message of our campaign: “light jokes” are never funny when they cause harm.

We extend our sincere appreciation to the 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐲 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐧 for their partnership and support. A special thank you to 𝐌𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐨, 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, for her thoughtful and insightful opening remarks.

One of the most impactful moments of the event was the panel discussion featuring representatives from five committed organizations – Myanma Awba Group Company Limited, City Mart Holding Company Limited (CMHL), Kanbawza Bank Limited, Proximity Finance Microfinance Company Limited, and Rohto-Mentholatum Myanmar Company Limited – the true backbone of this initiative.

They shared why it is important for their workplaces to adopt the campaign package and highlighted the practical actions their companies are already taking to strengthen respect at work, challenge harmful humor, and create safer environments for their employees. Their experiences brought us back to the heart of why this campaign exists. Our appreciation also goes to 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧-𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲, for presenting the recognition certificates to these five committed organizations. We closed the event with an engaging activity session, ending the evening on a meaningful and positive note.

“This Is Not a Joke” does not end here. The stories shared, the voices raised, and the actions pledged remind us of how much more we can achieve when we work together. We remain committed to building safer, more respectful workplaces across Myanmar, and we invite all organizations to join us in this ongoing journey.