Written by: Grace, USCB intern
Feature photo:
Cartoon by an artist from Bruma, depicting women at a protest holding longyi flags.
http://www.threefingers.org
Celebrating International Women’s Day, a day held to commemorate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, cannot be complete without also recognizing the efforts of women in Burma in resisting both authoritarianism and patriarchal institutions. The military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, led to the Burmese junta’s infringement on basic human rights across the country. This has set women’s peace and security backwards in all sectors, including representation, access to healthcare, and education, as women face human rights violations on a daily basis. This is the first section in a two-part series that will bring attention to the resistance of women against the military.
According to statistics shared by the National Unity Government (NUG)’s Ministry of Women, Youths, and Children Affairs, women have accounted for 7.4% of all fatalities since the start of the coup, with over 107 women murdered and the highest number of deaths being between 18 and 29 years of age. The lives taken by the military include mothers, daughters, sisters, and teachers. Daw Tin Nwet Yii, a teacher who valued the future of her students, joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) to protest against the oppressing military rule. While joining an all-government staff demonstration planned in Yangon on February 8th, two military cars ran into their group. Daw Tin Nwet Yii was then shot and died while on her way to the hospital. In another part of Burma, Women for Justice Director Ah Khu from Chin State was shot during a strike near Kalay Town. As activists, rights defenders, or, simply, women speaking out against injustice, women face abuse at the hands of the Burmese military.
Photo: Myanmar Now
The Burmese military has also harshly targeted the healthcare sector, making Burma one of the “most dangerous places in the world to be a healthcare worker.” These acts of violence often target women doctors and nurses, while the military raids health clinics and arrests health workers for helping protestors. On November 16, SAC forces raided a PDF outpost in Kalay Township, Sagaing, and captured 8 female medics. The day after the raid, the body of another medic, Biak Rem Chin, was found “bearing signs of an execution-style killing at close range.” The 23-year-old was a volunteer nurse helping patients outside the city during the third wave of COVID-19. Taking the life of a young person is a blow to the country’s future, and it is an act that only those with no sense of justice would commit.
Medical workers have also been killed on the scene by military forces while helping injured protestors. On March 28, 2021, 20-year-old Ma Thin Zar Hein, a second-year student at Monywa Nursing School, was shot while helping a critically injured protester during a violent crackdown by the military. Meanwhile, medical workers have also been arrested for refusing to work under the dictatorship, another blatant human rights violation. On September 25, Khin Khin Kywe, a nurse participating in CDM, was arrested near Myanigone Bridge in Sanchaung Township, Yangon. She and other youths were arrested in the dead of night and taken out to the street, where military soldiers beat and eventually shot them to death. Under a military that kills innocent people without hesitation, no one can live secure lives. Even children have and continue to be murdered, with a total of 103 deaths under the age of 18. The Ministry of Women, Youth, and Children Affairs reported that this number included at least 14 girls under 17 years of age.
Photo: Myanmar Now
Beyond the horrors of violence and brutality, women in Burma face growing economic difficulties, with half of the population expected to be in poverty by early 2022. Over 220,000 garment workers, mostly women, have lost their jobs with the combined effects of the military coup and COVID-19. Since the coup, the healthcare sector in Burma has been subjected to severe persecution by the military, with many women doctors, nurses, and volunteers being arrested or killed for simply doing their job and helping people. The military has also cracked down on the CDM movement and any CDM supporters, with women constituting a large number of those subjected to this violence. Women historically and currently bear disproportionate burdens in times of conflict and insecurity, making their voices and contributions to movements for peace especially meaningful. As women in Burma continue to fight for a better future, more insights into their resistance and suffering under the junta will be given in the next piece. As we continue to explore women, peace, and security, keep an eye out for the second part of this two-part series.
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