About Women
The women of Myanmar, particularly women from ethnic minorities, have shown incredible strength and resilience facing decades of violence, repression, and discrimination. The Myanmar military, targeting ethnic communities and activists that have opposed its authoritarian grip, has been responsible for most violations.
Common patterns of abuse have been reported across the country. Women have been killed, injured, and suffered torture and ill-treatment. Some have been targeted because of their activism or involvement with ethnic resistance organizations (EROs); many more were civilians targeted because they live in areas of resistance to some including the military’s use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war, often linked to the broader strategy of Burmanization. With many men joining ethnic resistance organizations (EROs) or seeking work in third countries, women had to become heads of households, responsible for the daily survival of children, aging, and disabled relatives. Hundreds of thousands were forcibly displaced, finding temporary shelter in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps inside the country or refugee camps along its borders.
Kachin Women
The Kachin, based in the mountains of northern Myanmar, started fighting for equal rights and self-determination in Myanmar more than 60 years ago. As a distinct ethnic group, they have faced decades of discrimination and inequality. Their language has been banned in schools, they have had little opportunity for high-level government positions, and, as majority Christians, they have often been persecuted as a religious minority in a Buddhist dominated State. Rich in natural resources and home to some of the world’s largest jade mines, Kachin State is seen as precious territory. The Myanmar Army and its affiliated companies have been responsible for large scale resource extraction projects, which have been linked to land confiscations and environmental degradation.
In 1961 the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) were established. Initially seeking independence, they later sought autonomy within a federal union. It signed a ceasefire with the Myanmar military government in 1994, based on promises for political reform. The ceasefire lasted 17 years, until it was breached in 2011 when the Myanmar military launched an aggressive operation in KIA territory, using heavy artillery and aircraft.
In the ensuing decade conflict escalated, resulting in systematic human rights abuses, including forced labor, arbitrary detention, sexual violence, torture, and killings. The Myanmar Army targeted civilians to curtail support for KIA and resistance groups. Hundreds of villages were burnt down, houses and property were ransacked, and stored food surpluses were destroyed. Many people lost their livelihoods, and over 100,000 were forcibly displaced. Most, including some of the women taking part in this body mapping exhibition, took refuge in IDP camps in cities and remote areas along the border with China.
The Myanmar Army perpetrated systematic sexual violence against Kachin women and girls. IDPs and women living near Myanmar Army encampments were at particular risk. Women working for or suspected of working with the KIA were also targeted.
After the collapse of the ceasefire, many Kachin men volunteered to fight with the KIA, draining the agricultural labor force at the village level. Many women became responsible for farming and the daily survival of their families. Decades of violence, instability and protracted intergenerational displacement manifested in a loss of hope and educational opportunities for many Kachin youth. Many young men and women struggled with drug addiction. Others traveled to China and Thailand to seek new sources of income and security. Women and girls were at risk of trafficking, exploitation and forced marriage.
Violence has escalated since the 1 February 2021 coup, with the KIA, and at times their PDF allies, involved in increasing number of clashes. The Myanmar Army has increased airstrikes, with civilians caught in indiscriminate attacks. Reports of rape and attempted rape continue. Even as thousands more are displaced, the SAC threatens closure of IDP camps, increasing instability for thousands of women.
Karen Women
One of Myanmar’s largest ethnic groups, the Karen are based in the mountainous eastern border and central delta areas of the country, and have their own unique language, culture, and traditions. Karen people have sought political recognition and autonomy since Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948. For over 70 years they have faced brutal political restrictions, economic exploitation, discrimination, and cultural suppression at the hands of successive military regimes.
Karen people have lived through decades of armed conflict between the Myanmar Army, militias, and Karen ethnic armed groups. Civilians have faced human rights violations such as extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrest, torture, forced labor, and conscription as child soldiers. For the Karen women who participated in this body mapping project, Naw Yi Aye and Naw Mai Mai, the late 1990s were one of the worst periods of conflict, due to intense fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). During this time a splinter group from the KNLA broke off and joined the Myanmar Army. They leaked information about villagers who were affiliated with the Karen National Union (KNU) – the political wing of the KNLA – or had family members in the organization. As a result, hundreds of villages were burned down and many people arrested, interrogated, or killed.
During this period, Naw Yi Aye and Naw Mai Mai, joined other Karen women in taking positions of village leadership as their menfolk were away fighting. Forced to interact with Myanmar Army units moving through their villages, they faced the constant threat of violence. With many men fleeing because of the conflict, they and the women of their community were often left to do forced labor on their behalf.
Decades of conflict have also forced hundreds of thousands of Karen people to flee their homes and seek safety in refugee and IDP) camps. While some were able to return to their homes after a 2012 ceasefire, many have remained in camps for decades. The signing of the so-called ‘Nationwide’ Ceasefire Agreement in 2015 led to a fragile peace in Karen State in the 2010s. While the ceasefire opened the door to an increase in economic activity and development projects, it also led to the heightened presence of the Myanmar Army, including increased numbers of soldiers, new military camps, and military-controlled roads. Clashes were ongoing, resulting in new displacements and violations in the late 2010s. Women and girls reported continued acts and threats of sexual and gender-based violence.
Since the coup, conflict has escalated dramatically between the Myanmar Army, Karen EROs, People’s Defense Forces (PDFs), and other armed groups. Myanmar Army airstrikes, indiscriminate artillery attacks and ground offensives have resulted in the killings of at least 153 civilians including 30 women. Women (117) made up nearly half (276) of all civilians wounded. More than 350,000 people have been displaced since 1 February 2021, the majority women, and children. Karen State has also become a sanctuary for an estimated tens of thousands of activists and others fleeing violence and repression in other parts of the country. This has increased burdens on local resources.
Women in Karen State have also been impacted by new and ongoing violations. According to the Karen Women’s Organization (KWO) and Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), displaced women endure poor living conditions, often lacking access to clean water, sanitation, and health services. Systematic conflict-related sexual violence, often linked to forced portering, continues. Myanmar Army personnel are not subject to civilian justice systems, resulting in ongoing impunity for their crimes. This contributes to a climate of fear and insecurity. Women continue to face more subtle forms of violence and discrimination as well, such as limited autonomy over land ownership, and challenges to accessing education.
Ta’ang Women
The Ta’ang (also sometimes referred to as Palaung) are an ethnic group of living primarily in the mountainous areas of northern Shan State. This includes the Palaung Self-Administered Zone, established in 2010, which covers two townships in northern Shan State. The majority of the Ta’ang people are Buddhist and have their own distinctive customs. There are three principal Ta’ang languages and additional local dialects.
Numbering over million people, the Ta’ang community is famous for producing tea, which is the backbone of its economy. Shan State is a major center for opium poppy cultivation and drug abuse is a widespread problem, particularly among men and young people. Women often carry the burden of caregiving becoming the main breadwinner in families where relatives struggling with addiction. Many Ta’ang leaders and armed organizations have taken a strong stance to combat poppy cultivation and drug production in Ta’ang areas.
The Ta’ang have been seeking self-determination from the Myanmar government for over 60 years and have been engaged in armed struggle with the Myanmar Army through the Palaung State Liberation Army (PSLA) (1963-2009), and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) (2009 until now).
Conflict escalated after 2011, with the TNLA clashing not only with the Myanmar Army but also other ethnic armed groups and Myanmar Army-aligned militias. The area became rapidly militarized in the 2010s with the Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO) estimating an increase of Myanmar Army troops in Ta’ang areas has from 3,000 in 2011 to over 12,000 in 2016. TNLA and many of its allies in Northern Myanmar declined to sign the so-called ‘Nationwide’ Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, and the late 2010s saw some of the most intense fighting yet.
Civilians in Ta’ang areas have faced human rights abuses including abduction, torture and forced labor, as well as forced recruitment into armed groups. Civilians were constantly at risk of death and injury from landmines, shelling, and gunfire. Many women like Nway Khaing, Lway Aye Htay, and Khin Ohn Kyi, who shared their body maps, lost family members and sustained injuries while getting caught in the crossfire while trying to live their daily lives. There have also been many instances of extrajudicial killing, arbitrary arrest, and detention, especially of those suspected of being TNLA members. By the end of the 2010s, over 15,000 people had been forced to flee their homes., most taking shelter in IDP areas inside the country.
Conflict-related displacement and destruction of property has severely impacted livelihoods and added strains on already underdeveloped communities. Seeking to escape poverty, tens of thousands of Ta’ang people, like the women featured in this exhibition, regularly cross the border into China to seek work in sugar cane fields and urban areas. Women and young girls are at a high risk of being trafficked or exploited.
There has been no respite from war and human rights violations in the wake of the 1 February 2021 coup, with conflict ongoing on multiple fronts. TNLA continues to clash with the Myanmar Army but has also faced renewed fighting with other ethnic-based armed organizations as it struggles to hold and expand its territory in the diverse and highly contested regions of Northern Shan State. Increased attacks on women and relatives of suspected TNLA members have been reported. Many Ta’ang activists and human rights groups, including women’s organizations, have been forced into hiding. Reports of sexual violence are ongoing, and women continue to be at risk of serious injury, displacement, and death as they struggle to survive in areas where violence has become an ongoing part of life.