Myanmar women defy violence to lead in revolution and interim administration

Mizzima

Despite facing severe oppression by the military junta in Myanmar including physical violence, sexual violence, and forced conscription, women are playing a crucial leadership role in the revolution and interim administration, said Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

He made these remarks on October 6 during the General Discussion on the agenda item “Advancement of Women” at the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural) of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Around 50 UN member states, including Myanmar, participated in the session, according to a statement released by the Permanent Mission of Myanmar.

Kyaw Moe Tun stated that since the 2021 military coup, the military junta has been weaponizing sexual violence in conflict, while committing arbitrary detention of women politicians, forced conscription, and human trafficking.

He added that of the more than four million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country, nearly half are women and girls who are facing the brunt of airstrikes, food insecurity, and deep-rooted patriarchy.

However, Myanmar women and girls are not merely victims of the conflict; they are actively defending their fundamental rights and leading the efforts to build a future democratic nation, Kyaw Moe Tun said.

According to the statement, women hold 25 percent of the leadership positions in the National Unity Government (NUG), and women’s representation is integrated as a core pillar in the leading council for the establishment of a Federal Democratic Union.

Furthermore, the statement highlighted that 70 percent of revolutionary education personnel are women, and 70 percent of frontline civil society organizations providing healthcare and cross-border humanitarian aid are women-led organizations.

He pointed out that global progress and sustainable peace cannot be achieved by excluding women’s rights or through systematic violence, and that the full and equal leadership of women is indispensable for peace and human development.

Therefore, he urged the international community to hold perpetrators of sexual violence and atrocities accountable under international law, and to provide direct support to local women-led organizations.

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun stated that the military junta, which is committing violence against women in Myanmar, can neither claim legitimacy nor genuinely implement the advancement of women.

He added that genuine advancement of women can only be achieved by ending the military junta’s impunity and establishing a Federal Democratic Union in Myanmar.

Kyaw Moe Tun also highlighted that the advancement of women is the cornerstone for sustainable peace, inclusive governance, and human development.