Wider impact The intergenerational consequences of sex-based violence are also severe. Children born from rape face lifelong stigma, often growing up without legal recognition or social acceptance. Mothers who have endured sex-based violence struggle with severe trauma, affecting their ability to care for their children. Children witnessing violence toward women and girls internalise these abuses, perpetuating cycles of oppression. The military’s use of sex-based violence has broader implications for Myanmar’s struggle for democracy and justice. By systematically targeting women and girls, the military not only inflicts individual harm but also weakens broader resistance movements. The erasure of women and girls from public and political life diminishes the diversity of voices advocating for change, weakening democratic struggles and reinforcing authoritarian rule. Emerging forms of sex-based violence Since the military coup, sex-based violence in Myanmar has intensified and taken on new forms. The militarisation of public life and erosion of legal protections have made women increasingly vulnerable. One emerging trend is the use of digital tools to facilitate sex-based violence. Women activists, journalists, and women’s rights defenders face online threats, trolling, doxxing, and sexual violence threats, often escalating to real-world harassment, attacks, and detention. Forced displacement and deprivation have also become systematic methods of sex-based violence. Women in Myanmar are often deliberately denied adequate food, healthcare, employment, and security, forcing many into exploitative survival strategies, including forced marriages and transactional sex. The military’s targeting of pregnant women and attacks on healthcare facilities further highlight the use of reproductive control as a weapon. Sexual violence has worsened nationwide, particularly against politically active women or women who confront military men’s sense of dominance. Women detainees face rape, sexual torture, and other forms of abuse as punishment for dissent. Free women face sexual violence and harassment daily, and their situation is worsened due to the lack of the rule of law. This pattern underscores the intersection of political persecution and sex-based oppression. Underreported forms of sex-based violence Most sex-based human rights violations likely remain undocumented due to stigma, fear of retaliation, lack of access to support, and systemic impunity. Rape and sexual violence in detention are among the least reported crimes, as survivors remain under the total control of the perpetrator and face threats or further abuse if they speak out. The extent of the use of sexual violence to extract confessions or punish political activism remains comparatively uncovered in discussions on State violence.