A/HRC/56/CRP.8 193. In some cases, women formed all female armed groups. Women have also trained and fought alongside men, subverting gender stereotypes that women are too weak or timid to fight. In some armed groups, women have ascended to leadership positions. 194. LGBT people have also joined armed resistance groups and in some cases are leading units. 195. Women and LGBT people are also supporting armed groups in other, less visible ways. They are providing medical treatment to frontline fighters, raising funds for armed groups, providing instruction to soldiers on federalism and international humanitarian law, and performing a variety of duties in camps. 196. Women report a range of challenges related to their involvement with armed groups. Women who have undergone the same military training as their male peers report being denied combat roles on the frontlines, and often feel limited to supportive or administrative roles that reinforce gender norms. One woman fighter based in Magway told the Special Rapporteur about the challenges she and other peers have experienced due to entrenched gender discrimination she experienced: To get a certain position we have to try two times harder than men. Only after that do they notice us. Another is the traditional culture norms, the way people look at women. They always tell us, “We're going to the frontline, you women stay at the camp and cook for us. Don’t get involved.” [This] has a psychological impact on us and really affects our morals. A lot of women, when they make a mistake and there's no one to support them … get upset and think about leaving the resistance. We try to continue to be part of the revolution in one form or another but a lot of women after they experience this, they don’t have the mental energy to leave their group and join a different [group] and work with men. Many women are thinking of leaving the revolution due to these kinds of challenges. 197. Women have reported instances of physical and verbal sexual harassment from male counterparts, suggesting that patriarchal norms continue to pervade the culture even in revolutionary settings. B. Backbone of humanitarian relief efforts 198. Women have been playing a central role in addressing the needs of displaced and vulnerable communities, powering the delivery of humanitarian aid and emergency relief in areas that are gravely impacted by conflict. UN agencies and international organizations have increasingly struggled to reach populations with the greatest need because of armed conflict and SAC-imposed access restrictions. Women-led civil society networks have stepped up, providing life-saving aid and services to populations beyond the reach of international humanitarian programs. They have taken charge of logistics and bureaucratic processes to ensure that food, medicine, and care is reaching displaced communities, activists in exile and hiding, and other conflict-affected groups. Since the coup, many women’s rights organizations have expanded their mandates beyond political advocacy and human rights documentation to include broad service provision, reflecting the mounting needs of women, children, and their families. 199. Ethnic women’s organizations, in particular, have played a prominent role in aid delivery, building on decades of experience supporting populations impacted by the military’s violence and persecution. In Southeast Myanmar, the Karen Women’s Organization (KWO) is working with Karen humanitarian aid groups to fundraise and provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of displaced people. In neighboring Karenni state, Karenni National Women’s Organization (KnWO) and Kayan Women’s Organization 43