Issue 5: The government does not prioritise the provision of access to information for women. The participants agreed that the government has little willingness to deliver information specific to women in a manner that is accessible to women and, as a result, more than twothirds of women in rural areas have either no or limited access to any information of relevance to their lives. Information for women is not provided in ways that suit them. Participants explained that, for most of the women that they worked with, the information provided by the government for women was inaccessible or insufficient. As a result, women either ignore or are unable to access the little information that is provided. The participants described the information as inaccessible to the majority of women because it relied either on women searching for the information in spaces that they may not feel comfortable in, or on inaccessible technology - too expensive or controlled by men - or as in the case of health information, was provided through clinics that are rarely accessible in rural areas without some form of transport. Information for women does not match their literacy levels. Broadcasters, particularly radio, are globally the best source of information for rural women with comparatively low literacy levels. However, participants agreed that the broadcasters - all of which are controlled by the government - provide little information of value for women and much of the information provided is motivated by commercial interests. For example, while one particular advertisement urges women to use condoms in order to prevent HIV, the broadcaster does little to explain how to get access to contraception or how to use it. One participant with HIV explained that women’s literacy levels in villages are very low so even if the government does provide information, it is frequently not presented accessibly. “I didn’t know about either reproductive or sexual health, or sexually transmitted diseases. Neither the radio or TV broadcasting gave us information in a way that [women with low literacy levels] could understand.”145 Women have reduced access to information using digital technologies. According to one participant, women generally have less access to computers or mobile phones and as a result have less access to the multiple sources of information available on the internet. This gender gap in access to technology146 is due partly to men’s control of finances, but also due to the prohibitive costs of technology and access fees. Mobile phones are also often seen as useful for men, and many people feel that women who do not own a phone, particularly in rural areas, can borrow their husband’s phone if necessary.147 Another participant stated that parents also purposefully withhold access to the internet from girls, as they are fearful that they will engage in courtship. Information targeted at women and awareness raising policies and practices are not evaluated. The participants believed that one reason why information is so poorly received by women is because the government generally fails to check whether their attempt to provide information has succeeded in creating an impact on women’s lives. The participants agreed that if the government did evaluate success they would realise that while the information may be useful, it was presented in a manner and form that was unsuitable for the target audience. This is usually either because the women targeted could not ARTICLE 19 - Censored gender: Women’s right to freedom of expression and information in Myanmar - Page 53