Cheery Zahau

Cheery Zahau (, also spelt Cherry Zahau; born Tuan Cer Sung; in 1981) is a Chin human rights activist, women's right activist, feminist, politician, writer, development and peace in Burma and also based in India and Thailand. She is the founder and leader of the Women's League of Chinland.

Early life and education Cheery Zahau was born in 1981 in Kalaymyo, Sagaing Region to ethnic Chin parents. She finished high school in her hometown, Kalaymyo then fled to India where she studied high school again. She continues her distance undergraduate studies at Thompson Rivers University Open Learning and studied for one year for a graduate degree at Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University. Cheery currently lives between Falam in Chin State and Yangon. She is a mother of two children — a daughter and a son.

In 2003, she was interning with the Central Chin Women Organization and she was helping to publish a quarterly bulletin “Rih Lasi” which featured articles and stories written by women in different Chin dialects, and to organize monthly Women's Exchange as well as other office works. She successfully formed "Women’s League of Chinland". She is a major author of the “Unsafe State” report, which includes first-hand research on systemic sexual violence against Chin women committed by the government military troops.

In 2012, she returned to Myanmar and she started run politic and democracy movement. She is one of five women candidates from the Chin Progressive Party (CPP). In the 2015 election, she contesting for House of Representatives seat from Falam township constituency, Chin State, but lost to Salai Ranbai, a National League for Democracy Party candidate.

Awards

She is awarded 2018 Schuman Human Rights Award by European Union Myanmar Delegation and awarded by UNDP for N-Peace Award 2017.