[Feature image by UNFPA]
Six months after being overtaken in a military coup, Burma is facing not only human rights violations but also deteriorating healthcare, especially in regards to women’s health. This sector of health, however, has long been neglected since the reign of the junta as well as under the ousted civilian government.
There are multiple international guidelines that exist to protect women’s right to good health, including Article 12 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. According to the article, the UN’s member states must “eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care.”
Even more, Paragraph 89 of the Beijing Platform for Action states that “women have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health”. To this, Burma responded by creating the National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women, however the goals of this plan have never been carried out in the country.
In the latest data from 2017, the World Bank indicated that, in Burma, 250 women die per 100,000 live births, the highest ratio in the Southeast Asian region. In addition, disparities have long existed across ethnic states and in urban versus rural regions, where 71.2 percent of the total population resides. Chin state held the highest maternal mortality at 357 deaths per 100,000 live births. Further, these numbers were mostly from preventable and avoidable complications had there been adequate antenatal, obstetric, and perinatal care. On average, the recommended 4+ antenatal care visits are only seen in 59 percent of pregnant women, and skilled birth attendants present 60.2 percent of the time. Many women in rural areas also must opt for home deliveries amidst ethnic conflicts, economic hardships, and long journeys to health facilities. By 2020, UNFPA reported that of the 15,082,202 women of reproductive age, only 69,013 of them were reached with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and 11,999 with family planning (FP) services. Additionally, 28 percent of adolescent women (ages 15-19) continue to give birth with only 6,855 of them reached with SRH services.
A health system still blooming, the military coup deleted any past progress. As the majority of health professionals join the Civil Disobedience Movement, the military turns to attack the healthcare system, cracking down on workers and even raiding and occupying hospitals. By late July, there were “at least 200 attacks on health workers and facilities,” with 17 dead, more than 157 detained, and 580 outstanding arrest warrants. The military junta even asked aid organizations to halt their services, including Doctors Without Border (MSF) in Dawei of Tanintharyi region. With widespread military violence, a surge in IDP numbers is seen throughout all ethnic states. As many run to nearby towns, the borders, and jungles, they are deprived of food, shelters, daily necessities, and any form of medical care. These atrocities by the military not only resulted in the breakdown of the country’s healthcare system and delivery of services but also have restricted external aid from reaching those in need.
In the midst of these worsening situations, women are facing unprecedented challenges. Programs targeting health issues, including women’s health, have been halted. In the city of Hlaing Tharyar, hospitals and clinics are “shuttered” and the military roams the streets; yet, one midwife goes from house to house, delivering pregnant women amidst fear of detainment. With health services deprived from them, mothers are now facing a greater risk of pregnancy complications. Even worse, those in displacement camps are confronting a more dire situation. On July 18, five pregnant women were forced to run into the forest as the military forces burnt down their village; on July 21, a woman who was tortured in detainment had a miscarriage.
With decades of military oppression and restricted aid in conflict areas, women of ethnic minorities are deprived of their rights to good health as detailed in an interview by Aljazeera. From a woman in Chin state biting down on a cloth while giving birth for fear of being heard by the military forces, to the physical toll the body suffers from running and carrying a fetus, to the unsanitary shelters that deliveries take place; all of these condition heighten the probability of birth complications and the likelihood of maternal and infant mortalities. In Shan state, a woman gives birth to her fifth child after multiple shelter changes due to military shelling. However, the baby passes away within the next week, and there is no time to grieve as she “and her remaining children had to flee again… due to approaching soldiers.”
As the military coup and brutality continue, further deprivations of rights, including women’s right to health services and health education, are expected throughout the country. In order to alleviate some of these consequences, USCB urges the international community to increase targeted sanctions, push for aid access into vulnerable areas, pursue a global arms embargo, enact a provision of cross-border aid, and recognize the National Unity Government.
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