Voices of Resilience, Calls for Justice
“We can only truly address gender-based violence and oppression when women are speaking independently, articulating an intersectional political analysis that accounts for the layers of discrimination, oppression and persecution that Myanmar’s diverse communities have long experienced. That is a true peace agenda for a new Myanmar.”
As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence ended on International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2024, the day also offered a grim reminder of the urgent call to protect civilians, especially women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, enduring gross human rights violations in places like Gaza, Myanmar, Ukraine, and beyond. In Myanmar, the human rights situation has further deteriorated as the military junta has continued its terror campaign since its illegal coup attempt in February 2021—marking nearly four years of its relentless violence, particularly in the form of collective punishment. Yet, despite the adversity they face, these communities are unwavering in their commitment to and sacrifices for Myanmar’s revolution.
There had been at least 3,292 airstrikes from February 2021 to August 2024. Airstrikes during the first eight months of 2024 alone accounted for 1,639, which is half of the total airstrikes, averaging seven per day. These junta bombings deliberately targeted civilian areas such as displacement camps, schools in session, hospitals, homes, social gatherings, and religious buildings. Over the past week alone, in Natogyi Township, Mandalay Region, four days of junta airstrikes killed at least eight civilians, including three children.
The reality for women is direr during this time. Burmese Women’s Union reported that in November 2024 alone, 61 women had been killed across Myanmar as a result of the junta’s airstrikes, artillery shelling, extrajudicial killings, and landmines.
Over the past months, the junta and its ally, the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), committed horrific sexual violence at a monastery in Indaw Township, Sagaing Region. Turning the religious site into a detention center, the junta and the SNA raped women in front of their families. Survivors reported that the troops selected one woman to rape each night, including married women. According to one witness, nearly 60 women were raped. This violence has continued since August, with over 140 people still arbitrarily detained at the monastery. The full extent of these atrocities remains alarming. The Myanmar military’s long use of sexual violence as a weapon of war has been well documented by local and international organizations as well as the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar in 2019. Yet, the international community continues to fail to take any meaningful action to hold the Myanmar military accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity, and halt its violence against the people of Myanmar.
Similarly, LGBTQIA+ communities face severe marginalization, including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), torture and humiliation, and social stigma. As recounted by an LGBTQIA+ activist, “When they were arrested, they were severely tortured during interrogations, and sexually exploited—burned with cigarettes on their chests and subjected to horrific acts, such as having bottles inserted into their anuses.”
Despite ongoing violence, women and LGBTQIA+ human rights defenders refuse to stay silent. They have tirelessly advocated an end to SGBV, for justice and for equal rights in politics and decision-making, while providing vital protection and assistance for those in need during these critical times.
Ahead of Human Rights Day, Myanmar’s women human rights defenders and activists, joined the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence from 25 November to 10 December. They spoke out loud and clear, sharing their own stories and stories of women from their communities, as well as hope for a just and equal future across the country and beyond. A series of campaigns and actions had been carried out by women organizations, including Burmese Women’s Union, Karen Women’s Organization, Karenni National Women’s Organization, Sister2Sister, Ta’ang Women’s Organization, Women’s League of Burma, and Women’s Peace Network. These actions demonstrate the courage and resilience of women of Myanmar united by a shared vision.
In the words of Khin Ohmar, Chairperson of Progressive Voice, “We can only truly address gender-based violence and oppression when women are speaking independently, articulating an intersectional political analysis that accounts for the layers of discrimination, oppression and persecution that Myanmar’s diverse communities have long experienced. That is a true peace agenda for a new Myanmar.”
The international community must listen to the voices of these courageous women and LGBTQIA+ communities and make concerted efforts to end the junta’s violence against them and other marginalized communities in Myanmar. The rising deaths and heinous crimes of SGBV highlight the gravity of the crisis. The international community must support the women and LGBTQIA+ communities of Myanmar in their efforts to seek justice, remedies, and reparations for victims and survivors. This can be actualized by concrete and coordinated actions including holding the perpetrators accountable under international law. Furthermore, international donors must increase support to Myanmar’s women and LGBTQIA+ human rights defenders, activists, victims, and survivors, given the dire need of the situation.
The scars inflicted by the junta are profound, and these wounds must be addressed through the pursuit of justice for all victims and survivors. Justice must be served, and protection human rights must be a living reality in our daily lives.
______________________
[1] One year following the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, the former military junta changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar overnight. Progressive Voice uses the term ‘Myanmar’ in acknowledgement that most people of the country use this term. However, the deception of inclusiveness and the historical process of coercion by the former State Peace and Development Council military regime into usage of ‘Myanmar’ rather than ‘Burma’ without the consent of the people is recognized and not forgotten. Thus, under certain circumstances, ‘Burma’ is used.
Resources from the past week
Statements and Press Releases
By 276 Myanmar and Europe-based civil society organizations
Statement on Indian government’s approach to situation in Myanmar
By India for Myanmar, Blood Money Campaign, Defend Myanmar Democracy and Generations’ Solidarity Coalition of Nationalities
မြန်မာ့အရေးအပေါ် အိန္ဒိယအစိုးရ၏ ချဥ်းကပ်မှုနှင့် စပ်လျဥ်းပြီး သဘောထားထုတ်ပြန်ချက်
By India for Myanmar, Blood Money Campaign, Defend Myanmar Democracy and Generations’ Solidarity Coalition of Nationalities
By National Unity Government (Ministry of Labour)
Reports
Women’s Information Factsheet November 2024
By Burmese Women’s Union
အမျိုးသမီးများဆိုင်ရာအချက်အလက် (နို၀င်ဘာလ) ၂၀၂၄
By Burmese Women’s Union
Progressive Voice is a participatory, rights-based policy research and advocacy organization that was born out of Burma Partnership. Burma Partnership officially ended its work on October 10, 2016 transitioning to a rights-based policy research and advocacy organization called Progressive Voice. For further information, please see our press release “Burma Partnership Celebrates Continuing Regional Solidarity for Burma and Embraces the Work Ahead for Progressive Voice.”
