Mizzima-Apr 22
As Myanmar reels from the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck on 28 March, killing 3,649 and injuring over 5,000, another grim toll is emerging, one driven not by natural disaster, but by the ongoing brutality of the military junta. According to an information factsheet released by the Burmese Women’s Union (BWU), at least 66 women were killed and 88 injured across Myanmar in March alone, many as a direct result of military violence. Of those killed, the majority – 50 women – died in military airstrikes. Artillery shelling claimed another five lives, while two women were killed by landmines. Alarmingly, seven women were victims of extrajudicial killings. One woman died due to fire and another from an incident of sexual gender-based violence. Distressingly, 24 of the fatalities were girls under the age of 18. The injuries tell a similarly disturbing story: 49 women were wounded by aerial bombardment, 23 by shelling, 15 by landmines, and one woman as a result of torture. These figures underscore the compounding dangers that women and girls in Myanmar face from not only natural disasters, but also from the ongoing armed conflict and systemic human rights abuses. The BWU highlights that these numbers, compiled from verified media and their own monitoring, may underrepresent the true scale of violence due to severe data collection challenges on the ground. Geographically, the Magway Region recorded the highest number of female deaths in March with 15 fatalities, followed closely by Shan and Mandalay regions with 12 each. Sagaing, Bago and Tanintharyi regions, and several states including Rakhine and Karen, and also reported significant casualties. The BWU’s findings offer a sobering reminder that for many women and girls in Myanmar, safety remains out of reach. Read more at:
