Technology: Friend or Foe for Women of Myanmar remote, conflict-affected, under-served rural areas are far less likely to make effective use of ICTs and tend not to perceive a need for them. In some areas, this might be due to the combination of the lack of mobile phones, electricity, and network coverage, which - coupled with the junta’s internet shutdowns - make access to ICTs impossible. In rural and remote areas, escalating and expanding armed violence, poverty and geographical distance from established telecommunications networks and infrastructure mean that there is a huge gap between women’s and men’s access to and usage of ICT where they exist. When the range of a mobile cellular/broadband signal and internet connectivity are in unsafe neighborhoods or at a great distance from residential communities, women are less likely to frequent them. Women’s limited mobility is repeatedly cited as an obstacle to seeking out information, getting help, learning, and participating in online activities. This limitation in women’s mobility is fundamental given the absence of connectivity in rural and conflict-affected areas. “It is never easy for women from fragile and conflict-affected areas to get internet access. They need to walk a few kilometers and climb up some mountains for connectivity. Frequently, the spots to get mobile data signals are in places that women may not be comfortable frequenting – some are out in the open field, some on top of the mountain or hill. It is problematic for women to go there and return safely to their homes either in the dark or in daylight. Women’s mobility, both in the sense of safe route to access point and ability to leave the home, is more limited than that of men.” (KII_06, a woman from women’s rights organization) “I used to stay and work in the rural conflict-prone areas for seven months or so. Those areas often lack the resources and infrastructure for ICTs, such as electricity, limited bandwidth, etc. If people want to get IT access, they need to travel a few distances and climb up mountains. Women feel fear of going unaccompanied in the daytime. When dark falls, men can still do that if it is necessary but for women, it is not possible unless accompanied by male household members.” (KII_04, a woman researcher/lecturer) 20