Access to gender-specific information 2/ : % < D"G'68**A < #:% & '*+=% ' 2=% $ +"&>) / (/ 5 : % * 3 : ; % In Myanmar, information is treated as the ‘property’ of the state, jealously guarded from the public. This can be seen from the President right down to the township authorities, and includes the judiciary and parliament. Myanmar has no law that protects the right to freedom of information, nor does the Constitution provide for such a right. The News Media Law (2014) includes a highly restricted right, which only applies to journalists. Legislation greatly prohibits the sharing of state-held information. The Official Secrets Act (1923), Evidence Act (1923), Electronic Transactions Act (2004), Burma Wireless Telegraphy Act (1933), Computer Science Development Act (1996), and Television and Video Act (1996) all criminalise the collection, possession or dissemination of information or “false news” which is “detrimental to national interests”, and provide for sanctions ranging from 14-year prison sentences to the death penalty. As a result, the government of Myanmar is largely unaccountable and makes decisions that few can confidently question based on available information. Indicators on the government’s performance are some of the worst globally137 and Myanmar is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, third in the region behind only North Korea and Afghanistan.138 Despite the 2010 changes in government and their stated commitment to participate in transparency initiatives such as the Open Government Partnership, the past five years have seen no improvement in the tackling of corruption. The government does little to facilitate the free flow of information. Despite a presidential order in 2014 for all ministries to engage with the media, many ministries and departments still have no public relations department, no departmental spokesperson, and no publicly advertised phone number ready to answer even the most basic of queries. The fear of asking for information remains deep-rooted in civil society. The government constantly reminds people about the penalties if they ask for information. For example, in April 2014, a journalist and an activist were imprisoned merely for asking a local education department official for information about the implementation of a scholarship scheme.139 The key participants agreed with the UN special rapporteur140 that while the lack of access to information affects all in Myanmar regardless of gender, the effect is particularly pronounced for women, who have an additional need for gender-specific information about their reproductive and sexual health. Despite this additional need, participants noted a number of gender-specific barriers affecting women: • their general lack of awareness of the right to information and where to ask for information ARTICLE 19 - Censored gender: Women’s right to freedom of expression and information in Myanmar - Page 49