Chapter 4.8 4 Groups at Risk 4.8 In this Chapter: A. Context • Human Rights Defenders • Religious Communities • Women • Children • Ethnic Minorities • People Living With Disabilities • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) People B. Field Research Findings C. Recommendations for ICT Companies • Understanding and Addressing Differentiated Impacts of Projects • Business Leadership D. Relevant International Standards and Guidance on Groups at Risk A. Context Myanmar is one of the most culturally diverse countries in Southeast Asia, making for a complex interplay of ethnic identities. Many ethnic minority leaders believe that the Burman (Bamar)-dominated central Government instituted a policy of ‘Burmanisation’ to suppress ethnic minority cultures, languages and religions, and treat ethnic minorities as ‘second-class citizens’. 525 There are also several other groups that are at risk of marginalisation. These groups are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of increasing change in the country, due to poverty; lack of stature to make their voices heard in the process of shaping those changes; and an inability to resist more powerful forces. They risk being left behind in Myanmar’s rush to transform itself. Human Rights Defenders According to the United Nations, a ‘human rights defender’ is a term used to describe people who, individually or with others, act to promote or protect human rights. Human rights defenders are identified primarily by what they do. It is through a description of their actions and of some of the contexts in which they work that the term can best be explained. 526 As in most countries, there are many human rights defenders in Myanmar, including people working in civil society organisations (CSOs) and ethnic minority community-based organisations (CBOs), trade union, student and religious leaders, journalists, and Myanmar people working in INGOs and UN agencies. A vibrant and resourceful network of CSOs and CBOs is active at both the national and local levels in Myanmar, including many ethnic minority-based groups. In the aftermath of 525 For a further explanation and discussion of these issues, please see Transnational Institute/Burma Centrum Netherlands reports from 2011 to 2013. 526 See further: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. CHAPTER 4.8: GROUPS AT RISK 223