Hkawn San Pan

Hkawm Sam Pan grew up on her family farm in a rural portion of Kachin State. One of her happiest childhood memories is of going to festivals with her father. When fighting broke out in her village, her family was forced to flee. The school was far from her new home, and she could not finish second grade. When she was 17, she found love with a boy from her village. However, her family members worried that her boyfriend came from a poor background, and the couple broke up. Hkawm Sam Pan now hopes that parents will never separate their children from love, even if they love someone who is poor.

Hkawm Sam Pan married someone else and had seven children. She enjoyed raising her children and takes great pride in the young people they have become.

Conflict continued, and she struggled to find enough income to support her large family. In 2017, fighting broke out in her area and she hid in an orange plantation with others from the community. Soldiers from the Myanmar army sent dogs to look for the people that fled. When the dogs discovered the hiding villagers, the soldiers shot into the forest. Hkawm Sam Pan was shot in the wrist and had to have part of her arm amputated.

Hkawm Sam Pan’s body holds signs of her 7 pregnancies and reveals the continued pain she suffers from her amputation.

“My symbol is a flower because I am beautiful like a flower. Until now, I am still beautiful like a flower, even though I am now 50.”

Living in an IDP camp, she has started to connect with other survivors of human rights violations. She wants the truth about what happened to her to be known. She hopes to keep supporting other survivors, particularly other amputees, and encouraging them to speak out. She wants a healthy life for herself, and education for her children. She believes that if all survivors join hands and work together, they can achieve peace and justice for their communities.