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A/HRC/56/CRP.8 conflict.21 The Council has also called upon regional bodies to develop and implement policies to support women and girls in armed conflict and upon UN Member States to strengthen access to justice for women in conflict and post-conflict situations, including through investigation and prosecution.22 37. As Security Council resolutions, the women, peace, and security resolutions are binding on all UN Member States, including Myanmar. Under conditions that followed the SAC’s illegal coup, UN Women’s role in advancing the agenda in Myanmar is obviously constrained.23 IV. Background A. Gender hierarchy and patriarchal norms 38. In Myanmar, as in many countries, gender inequities and discrimination are rooted in socio-cultural traditions and belief systems that valorize patriarchal power. 39. Beliefs about the superiority of men in Myanmar are often grounded in the concept of hpon, which can be translated as “glory,” “power,” or “holiness.” It is believed that only men can possess hpon, bestowing them with an innate and spiritual superiority to women who are widely understood to be unable to possess hpon or to possess smaller amounts than men.24 Although the concept of hpon is conceptualized in Myanmar Buddhist terms, beliefs in men’s innate spiritual authority is often embedded in the belief systems of non-Buddhist and nonBamar ethnic communities as well, thus illustrating the prevalence of entrenched negative stereotypes of women across Myanmar. 40. This discriminatory hierarchy also impacts LGBT communities. It is traditionally believed that engaging in same-sex sexual relations reduces a man’s hpon. Some also believe that men born with feminine traits or mannerisms are experiencing karmic retribution for sins they committed in past lives. These ideas rationalize the notion that men with differing sexual orientations, gender identity, and expression have less social status than other men and are therefore deserving of discrimination.25 Individuals with identifying physical traits and 21 22 23 24 25 United Nations Security Council, Resolution 2106 (2013), UN Doc. S/RES/2106 (2013), 24 June 2013, https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n13/372/15/pdf/n1337215.pdf?token=LqvJxarX02aATYrs0q &fe=true; United Nations, Security Council Adopts Text Urging Targeted Sanctions against Perpetrators of Sexual Violence during Armed Conflict, SC/11043, 24 June 2013, https://press.un.org/en/2013/sc11043.doc.htm. United Nations Security Council, Resolution 2467 (2019), UN Doc. S/RES/2467 (2019), 23 April 2019, https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n19/118/28/pdf/n1911828.pdf?token=G3btbieOOZezqDMSe L&fe=true. UN Women, A guide to UN Security Resolution 1325 and the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Myanmar, 31 October 2023, https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/news/2023/10/the-womenpeace-and-security-agenda-in-myanmar. There are some interpretations that women can possess hpon, but in lesser quantities than men. See also, Stephanie Spaid Miedema, San Shwe, Aye Thiri Kyaw, “Social Inequalities, Empowerment, and Women’s Transitions into Abusive Marriages: A Case Study from Myanmar,” Gender & Society, 11 April 2016, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24756221. Lynette J. Chua and David Gilbert, “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Minorities in Transition: LGBT Rights and Activism in Myanmar,” Human Rights Quarterly, 2015, The Johns Hopkins University Press, https://www.burmalibrary.org/sites/burmalibrary.org/files/obl/2015-00-00Sexual_Orientation_and_Gender_Identity_Minorities-in-Transition-en-red.pdf. 11

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Courage amid crisis: gendered impacts of the coup and the pursuit of gender equality in Myanmar

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Human Rights Council

Date Published: Aug 1, 2024

Abstract: The 1 February 2021 military coup precipitated an unprecedented human rights and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. Armed conflict, displacement, economic collapse, hunger, and the junta’s gross human rights violations threaten the lives and well-being of people in every corner of the country. Women, girls, and LGBT people are severely and uniquely impacted by this crisis, yet these impacts are all too often obscured and ignored by the international community. This conference room paper seeks to shed light on the gendered impacts of the coup and the Myanmar military junta’s gross human rights violations. It has been made possible by the guidance, testimony, and insights of those who are working courageously and tenaciously to address these challenges. They have made it clear that while women and LGBT people have suffered enormously, they are playing a critical role as human rights defenders and leaders in the resistance movement. The threat of sexual and gender-based violence is a dark shadow that follows women, girls, and LGBT people throughout Myanmar. Junta forces have committed widespread rape and other forms of sexual violence, often characterized by the utmost cruelty and dehumanization. Members of resistance forces have also been responsible for abuses against women, girls, and LGBT people. Accountability for sexual and gender-based violence is extremely rare, and survivors struggle to access the support they need. Displacement, financial distress, and the lack of access to education and health care have caused many women and girls to adopt negative coping strategies, increasing their vulnerability to violence, human trafficking, early or forced marriage, and sexual exploitation. Rohingya women, girls, and LGBT people face heightened risks rooted in the systematic denial of citizenship and basic human rights. The Special Rapporteur urges the international community to significantly increase support for women, girls, and LGBT people in Myanmar and work to ensure accountability for crimes committed against them.

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Courage amid crisis: gendered impacts of the coup and the pursuit of gender equality in Myanmar

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