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{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Tibetan Women's Association
| logo = Tibetan Women's Associationlogo.jpg
| type = [[Non-profit organization|Non-profit]]
| founded = 1984
| location = [[Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh|Dharamshala]]
| fields =
| homepage = {{URL|https://tibetanwomen.org}}
}}
The '''Tibetan Women's Association''' '''(TWA)''' is a women's [[Voluntary association|association]] based in [[McLeodGanj]], [[Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh|Dharamshala]], [[India]]. The group was officially formed on 10 September 1984 in India, by Rinchen Khando Choegyal, a former [[Tibetan Youth Congress]] activist, although the group itself claims that a precursor was created in Tibet during the [[1959 Tibetan Rebellion]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Feminism, Nationalism, and Exiled Tibetan Women|first=Alex|last=Butler|publisher=[[Zubaan]]|year=2003|pages=46–47}}</ref> Stephanie Roemer traces the organization back to the [[Lhasa Patriotic Woman's Association]], founded in 1953 by the [[People's Liberation Army]], which introduced the idea of women participating in politics, which was "[[Political radicalism|radical]]" to [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]].<ref name="Roemer">{{Cite book|title=The Tibetan Government-in-Exile: Politics at Large|first=Stephanie|last=Roemer|publisher=[[Psychology Press]]|year=2008|page=110}}</ref>

During the 1960s and 1970s, organizations of Tibetan women made Tibetan [[Tibetan clothing|clothing]] and [[Tibetan rug|carpet]]s without pay for the exile [[Central Tibetan Administration]], which sold them for profit. It was only in the 1980s when the exile community in India would allow women to participate in politics, that an association of Tibetan women was officially formed.<ref name="Roemer"/>

The goals of the TWA are twofold: to promote the perpetuation of
Tibetans and [[Tibetan culture]] [[Tibetan diaspora|in exile]], including by promoting [[endogamy]] among Tibetans,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Tibet, A Reality|author=Chitkara, M. G.|publisher=APH Publishing|year=1994|page=31}}</ref> and to bring to international fora alleged [[human rights]] abuses of Tibetan women in Tibet. In India, the TWA has created the [[Tibetan Nuns Project]] to educate nuns and sponsors various cultural events like [[folk dance]]s. In 1995, the TWA attempted to join the [[Fourth World Conference on Women]] in [[Beijing]], but the organization was denied accreditation on technical grounds, a situation which received widespread disapproving press coverage in America and Europe.<ref name="Subramanya">{{Cite book|title=Human Rights and Refugees|author=Subramanya, N.|publisher=APH Publishing|year=2004|pages=212–215, 219}}</ref>

Today, the group has 58 branches worldwide<ref name="Subramanya"/> and 17,000 members.<ref name="Roemer"/> In 2012, it was revealed that the president of the TWA, who is also a member of the [[Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration]], had [[Embezzlement|embezzled]] $3,800 from the organization from 2000 to 2003.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.tibetsun.com/archive/2012/04/16/outgoing-twa-president-admits-to-embezzlement|title=Outgoing TWA President admits to embezzlement|first=Lobsang|last=Wangyal|publisher=[[Tibet Sun]]|authorlink=Lobsang Wangyal|location=Dharamsala, India|date=2012-04-16|accessdate=2012-05-07}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref>

Since May 2015 [[Dolma Yangchen]] has been president of the TWA.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tibetan Women’s Association elects new executive body |url=http://www.tibetanreview.net/tibetan-womens-association-elects-new-executive-body/|accessdate=23 November 2017|work= Tibetan Review|date=19 May 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of organizations of Tibetans in exile]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tibetanwomen.org Official site]
{{Feminism}}
[[Category:Dharamshala]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Human rights organisations based in India]]
[[Category:Tibetan feminists]]
[[Category:Tibetan diaspora in India]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1984]]
[[Category:1984 establishments in Himachal Pradesh]]

Tibetan Women's Association - Revision history

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