After experiencing a taste of democracy for five years following the coup of 1 February 2021 it has become harder for women to go out alone.

Thousands of people, including women and girls, have been severely assaulted by junta forces across Myanmar. They face widespread arbitrary imprisonment and extrajudicial killings. Women and girls also face the added burden of sexual abuse during their detentions.

Junta forces have been questioning suspects in illegal ways. The country’s judiciary and administration are malfunctioning and people are taking advantage of this by committing more
crimes such as stealing and threatening others.

Talking of the problems facing women Nann Yoon, an alias for a woman living in Yangon, said: “I just want to say that we haven’t done anything wrong being women. There are no effective laws to protect women in Myanmar. Some men insult and target women. Some insult us with sexual slurs and abuse on the street or on buses. To be honest, I was sexually harassed on the bus but I was too scared to do anything and people around me couldn’t help either.”

It is a challenge for women in Myanmar to commute in such unsafe conditions. Not only are women targeted, but men are also robbed and beaten. There have been double the number of robberies since the coup, when compared to the time under the civilian led government.

Fearing a rebellion, the Military Council is using soldiers to patrol the city wards rather than using them on battlefields.

Maltreatment of women and theft from women has increased in major cities such as Yangon and Mandalay.

Though the military has imposed a curfew from 12 am to 4am the streets are already deserted just after nightfall, because people are scared to go out. Most buses also stop running at 7 p.m. The public does not trust the junta to keep them safe.

Nann Yoon said “I miss the good old days. During that time, I didn’t need to worry about going to work alone. I even used to go to gatherings with my friends after work. But now, we have to rush to get home before dark because we have heard lots of news about robberies and Military Council surprise, random checks on pedestrians. It is not just thieves and robberies, there are many more cases of sexual abuse, they are even happening on buses. The future for women is concerning.”

Myanmar is a Buddhist country with no social security, no administrative or institutional capability, widespread poverty, underdevelopment, and a lack of human rights. It also has one of the highest rates of gender inequality and rape, brought on by decades of military rule.

The reimposition of military rule and the subsequent human rights, economic, and humanitarian crises have endangered women's empowerment and gender equality and have effectively turned back the clock.