[{"bbox": [97, 166, 449, 192], "category": "Section-header", "text": "**General situation of women's rights**"}, {"bbox": [97, 205, 1133, 498], "category": "Text", "text": "The women's rights agenda has suffered a severe setback in the aftermath of the coup. Promising collaborations and agreements between government institutions and civil society organisations aimed at advancing women's rights have been abruptly disrupted. In the aftermath of the coup, women have emerged as symbols of defiance and as key leaders of resistance efforts, assuming prominent roles on the frontlines of protests, the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and in the armed resistance. Since the coup, the junta has arrested more than 1200 women, many of whom have been held in interrogation camps in unknown locations and subjected to severe abuse. Domestic violence and violence against women by armed actors and security forces has increased significantly. Post-coup conflict dynamics have complicated efforts to document sexual and gender-based violence (GBV), further inhibiting prospects for justice and accountability. Organisations working on GBV are unable to publicize their services for fear of surveillance and tracking, and they are unable to reach their target audiences because people are on the move, displaced, in exile or in hiding."}, {"bbox": [97, 508, 1133, 669], "category": "Text", "text": "During the COVID-19 pandemic, women's domestic caring responsibilities have increased by 60%, and women are likely to experience long-term setbacks in work force participation and income.⁹ Single women headed households have also become a widespread phenomenon as a result of drugs, addictions, and forced recruitment. Women, men, girls and boys are often victims of trafficking, forced labour and unsafe and irregular migration. Conflict, increasing poverty, high unemployment rates, inflation, loss of livelihoods, and reduction in employment opportunities are major causes of vulnerability to trafficking."}, {"bbox": [97, 694, 441, 719], "category": "Section-header", "text": "**Increase in Gender-Based Violence**"}, {"bbox": [97, 732, 1133, 1025], "category": "Text", "text": "While GBV was widespread already prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the military coup, both these events have had a serious impact on the escalation of GBV in Myanmar. According to the last Myanmar Demographics and Health Survey (MDHS)¹⁰, 15% of women age 15-49 reported experiencing physical violence since age 15 and 9% reported having experienced physical violence in the past 12 months. The MDHS also highlighted a high degree of acceptance of intimate partner violence¹¹. While the MDHS data is indicative of the high level of GBV across Myanmar, it is important to note that GBV is chronically underreported in all contexts due to a range of factors, including fear of reprisals and lack of access to services. At the same time, high level of GBV is also a manifestation of women's lack of economic empowerment, low standing in the society and lack of decision-making power. As per the baseline assessment that was conducted under the previous EU-funded programme Women and Girls First Phase II (WGF II)¹², only 51% women and girls were able to decide for their own health, major household purchase and visiting relatives."}, {"bbox": [97, 1036, 1133, 1354], "category": "Text", "text": "The availability of protection and support services, including safe shelter/houses, for GBV survivors varies across states/regions, but is generally limited. There are also barriers limiting accessibility, including transportation/service costs, language barriers, movement restrictions, and/or lack of trust in or concern over the quality of services. In addition to these barriers, persons with disabilities are further marginalized because of additional challenges that they experience, such as inaccessible infrastructures, inaccessible information and communication materials, and the stigma associated with their disabilities that results in negative attitudes towards them. The availability of and access to GBV support services declined during the COVID-19 pandemic and was reduced further following the military takeover, leading to a decrease in service utilisation by women and girls.¹³ Women's Rights Organisations (WROs) and Ethnic Health organisations (EHOs) have come to play a central role in providing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care and support for GBV survivors. Similarly, longstanding challenges in access to justice for survivors have been further exacerbated by the military takeover, as the rule of law has deteriorated and the functionality of the justice sector is reduced. Hence, survivors are, to an even greater"}, {"bbox": [85, 1427, 1143, 1478], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁹ UN Women. Regressing Gender Equality in Myanmar. Women living under the pandemic and military rule (2022): https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/mn-Myanmar-Women%20Report-NEW-06032022.pdf"}, {"bbox": [85, 1482, 1011, 1508], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁰ 2015-2016 Myanmar Demographics and Health Survey: https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR324/FR324.pdf"}, {"bbox": [85, 1512, 1143, 1586], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹¹ The MDHS finds that 49% of men and 51% of women agree a husband is justified to hit or beat his wife for at least one of the specified reasons (burns the food; argues with him; goes out without telling him; neglects the children; refuse to have sexual intercourse; involved in too much social activity)."}, {"bbox": [85, 1591, 559, 1615], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹²ACA/2019/408-224 - Women and Girls First - Phase II"}, {"bbox": [85, 1620, 733, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹³ UNFPA/UNDP GBV Essential Services Package Rapid Assessment (2021)"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1682, 1143, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 31"}]