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Objective of the report
Myanmar is often portrayed as a state with a comparatively high level of equality,
particularly when compared to its neighbours to the west.3 Indeed, in the research for this
report the people of Myanmar frequently came to exactly this conclusion. It is true to an
extent: over the past decade, Myanmar has, for example, largely eliminated inequality in
education, and there are now more girls and women in education than there are boys and
men.
However, while civic space has grown considerably since the adoption of a new Constitution
in 2008, the absence of women’s voices has become more noticeable, particularly at the
higher levels of government and civil society. Unfortunately, while there is certainly prima
facie evidence, any attempts to understand the reasons behind the evidence have not been
broad, looking at women only as journalists or leaders.
This report is, therefore, the first in Myanmar to look comprehensively and specifically at
the gender-based factors that restrict, either in practice or in effect, women’s right to
freedom of expression and information. It seeks to facilitate an understanding of the
barriers women are facing in the country, and to initiate discussion on how to eliminate
them. The report will form the basis of ARTICLE 19’s future work in Myanmar, and will, in
particular, feed into the 2016 review of the country under the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
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ARTICLE 19 - Censored gender: Women’s right to freedom of expression and information in Myanmar - Page 3