A/HRC/56/CRP.8 settings or by untrained persons. Limited access to health professionals and clinical care, especially in conflict areas, is further escalating the dangers associated with abortions and limiting options for post-abortion care. Movement restrictions, check points, and the threat of armed conflict prevents referrals to hospitals for complex cases. 143. Since the coup, there has been a marked decrease in the availability and accessibility of treatments for sexually transmitted diseases and infections, including preventative and antiretroviral therapies for HIV. Even in urban areas where treatments are available in limited quantities, patients are unable to receive bulk amounts and must instead queue in long lines every month. Some patients must travel long distances to receive antiretroviral therapy at a clinic where they are registered, putting them at risk while traveling. Patients have also reportedly been forced to pay bribes at public health institutions run by the SAC to receive their HIV-related treatments. Some have faced discrimination and verbal abuse from health professionals when seeking treatment. Some transgender women reportedly are only able to access shorter duration therapy compared to other groups, suggesting the prevalence of discrimination within healthcare settings. People who are visibly transgender also face difficulty when crossing checkpoints in order to access healthcare. D. Weakened access to education 144. Since the coup, Myanmar’s children and young adults have struggled to access educational opportunities. Millions of children are currently out of school because of the collapse of the formal education system, displacement, and armed conflict, with SAC forces regularly attacking schools in opposition-controlled areas.71 Many parents can no longer afford to pay school fees. Adolescent girls are the mostly likely to be out of school. 145. With few educational opportunities and families struggling to make ends meet, many girls seek employment. A woman from Namkhan township in northern Shan State said: Parents can't afford the additional tuition fees for their children. Because of these reasons, children quit school…most adolescent girls seek their job opportunity in the border area, such as Muse and Laukkai township, to work as waiters and domestic help.72 146. The educational crisis has severe impacts for all children, but its gendered impacts on girls include increased risk of early marriage and negative coping mechanisms that increase vulnerability to trafficking, unsafe migration, exploitation, and abuse. In the long-term, low school attendance rates for girls will further exacerbate existing gender inequality within the workforce. On a societal level, a lack of educated women in Myanmar’s workforce will hamper productivity and harm the country’s economic growth.73 147. These impacts are even more pronounced for ethnic minorities that have long faced structural barriers to education. In Rakhine State, widespread discrimination against the Rohingya has restricted the community’s access to formal education. Some public schools do not admit Rohingya children, some schools separate Rohingya children from their peers, and schools are often located far from Rohingya villages. Rohingya girls face an added layer of gender discrimination that complicates their education access. Local customs generally do not allow Rohingya girls to study under a male teacher, yet there is a massive deficit in Rohingya female teachers in Myanmar. As a result, Rohingya girls and women face soaring 71 72 73 According to credible reports received by the Special Rapporteur, an estimated 5.5 million children are currently out of school in Myanmar. Testimony shared with the Special Rapporteur by a humanitarian organization. The World Bank, “Missed Opportunities: The High Cost of Not Educating Girls,” July 2018, https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/775261531234655903/pdf/128171-replacementHighCostOfNotEducatingGirls-Web.pdf. 33