A/HRC/56/CRP.8 130. Displacement also changes gender roles within families that experience separation, deaths, or the destruction of homes and villages. Both women and men are forced to adopt new roles and responsibilities for which they are unaccustomed and ill-prepared. The death, detention, and long-term absence of men involved in armed conflict has shifted dynamics within homes, leading to a rise in female-headed households. Women often face gendered challenges or discrimination in their new roles. For example, cultural practices may inhibit women’s ability to register land or inherit property. 131. There is an enormous gap between the needs of vulnerable communities and the amount of humanitarian assistance reaching those populations. Displaced people throughout the country are facing severe shortages of basic necessities like food, water, and medical supplies, with a particular impact on women, girls, and LGBT people. The UN estimates that 18.6 million people across Myanmar will require humanitarian assistance in 2024. The majority of those in need, 52 percent, are women and girls.70 Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable, as they lack access to necessary treatment, medicine, and equipment. 132. Gender and sexual minorities are among those most impacted by the humanitarian crisis but do not receive sufficient humanitarian support due to entrenched discrimination and historic marginalization. Anecdotal reports suggest that these populations have sometimes been deprioritized in the distribution of limited humanitarian aid. C. Gendered nutrition and health challenges 133. Women, girls, and LGBT people face numerous challenges in securing adequate, nutritious food and accessing healthcare. Sexual and reproductive health has been particularly impacted. Shortfalls in humanitarian aid and the obstruction of aid deliveries by the SAC have severely limited access to goods and services that can address gender-specific health concerns, especially in conflict-affected and ethnic minority regions. 134. Displacement, economic decline, inflation, and the loss of livelihoods, among other factors, have left many families unable to afford sufficient food for their household or access diverse diets. Women and girls often reduce the quantity or quality of their food intake during times of crisis to make up for household food insecurity. Given pervasive and persistent gender norms, women tend to sacrifice to soften impacts on their families, such as by skipping meals, only eating porridge, prioritizing feeding their children first, and eating only after other family members have eaten. Limiting consumption is especially pervasive among lower income women, married women, and women with lower levels of education. 135. Limited access to food increases women’s and girls’ vulnerability, including by increasing the likelihood they engage in negative coping strategies or remain in situations where they are vulnerable to abuse. In conflict settings, women and girls face grave risks if they travel outside their village or displacement site to search for food. Cutting back on food consumption renders women vulnerable to macro and micronutrient deficiency, particularly during their reproductive years. Poor diets during pregnancy can cause anemia, preeclampsia, hemorrhage, and death. It can also lead to stillbirth, low birthweight for infants, and wasting and development delays for children. Breastfeeding mothers face additional challenges in replenishing nutrients and meeting their dietary needs. 136. The lack of adequate clinical facilities, equipment, test kits, and medicine has severely set back maternal care and maternal health for pregnant and breastfeeding women and their babies. Doctors and nurses working in conflict-impacted areas and displacement camps told the Special Rapporteur that antenatal and postnatal care has deteriorated significantly since 70 UN OCHA, Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2024, December 2023, https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/myanmar/myanmar-humanitarian-needs-and-responseplan-2024-december-2023-enmy, p. 10. 31