Mericho is a reporter based in Shan State, Northeast Myanmar. He started working as a citizen reporter after the coup broke out. “Since the military cracked down on reporters, no one wanted to take pictures on the street. I want to be part of this revolution by reporting on the atrocities of the military that are taking place around me.” As armed struggles spread across the country, he helped the Citizens’ Guard Forces both physically and mentally. There he met numerous female national guards. This is why he is determined to highlight the hardships and struggles of the Women’s National Guard, who are at the forefront, but unknown to many. The following is an article written by Ms. Maricho covering female guerrillas.
Myanmar women have shown courage and tenacity from generation to generation even in the civil war that has been going on for half a century. Living as a woman in Myanmar, a patriarchal society, means being physically and mentally harsh and unable to be free from various types of violence. Myanmar women have been subjected to all kinds of sexual violence by Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army). In mountainous areas where ethnic minorities live, the damage was particularly severe, and both the elderly and young girls are exposed to sexual violence. But soldiers who commit crimes are not punished. The reality of women’s human rights in Myanmar is that there is no proper protection law in place for the victims and their families.
Early in the morning of February 1, 2021, the Myanmar coup began in earnest after the military ousted state adviser Aung San Suu Kyi. Five days after the coup, in Yangon, two young women, along with a union in solidarity with the workers, took to the streets to fight the coup. Two young women at the forefront of the protests are Itinja Maung of the Shan (now Deputy Minister for Women and Youth at the National Unity Government (NUG)) and Esther Jeno of the Kachin Peace Network.
Since then, many Myanmar women have actively taken to the front of the protesters. On February 9, 19-year-old Miya Twe Twe Kaying, who was protesting peacefully in the Myanmar capital, Nay Pyi Taw, was shot to death after being shot in the head by police and police brutality. On February 19, that very day, she became the first victim of this coup. From the beginning of the coup, whether they were peacefully demonstrating or staying at home, Myanmar citizens could not escape the brutal massacre by the military and police.
On March 3rd, 19-year-old Chial Shin, also known as the ‘Taekwondo Girl’, was shot and killed during a peaceful protest in Mandalay, Myanmar. She was shot down by police and police while wearing a black T-shirt with ‘Everything Will Be OK’ written on it. Not only that, but on March 23, Kin Myochi, a 7-year-old girl who was trembling in her father’s arms during a security police raid, a bullet they shot pierced her stomach from her back into her stomach, causing her stomach to explode, and she eventually died on the way to hospital. did. These ruthless murders are taking place every day among the citizens of Myanmar who are opposed to a military coup.
Over the past year, the military’s violence towards citizens fighting and protesting against the coup d’état has increased day by day. Citizens who did not want a military dictatorship fought and fought against the military by all means and methods available. Among them, the medical, educational and entertainment circles actively participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), a representative anti-coup d’état resistance movement, and many of them were women. From this point on, Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, the main culprit of the military coup, began to randomly arrest the people who resisted the coup by amending the provisions on the crime of state rebellion and defamation of the state in the Criminal Code.
Human rights issues in female dormitories in prison
The ages of the women arrested by the coup d’état and taken to the interrogation center also vary. They ranged from 20 to 60 years old, and the interrogation process was different for each. According to the women released from prison, the most common crime during interrogation was sexual harassment by soldiers. The military applied the criminal law to the women arrested and even sued them according to their taste. Water is not provided from 10 am to 8 pm in the women’s dormitory in the prison. Women are concerned that this can lead to long-term hygiene problems. According to lawyers representing political prisoners, prison guards install CCTV in women’s dormitories to store and sell videos of taking a shower and changing clothes. Women who have been released from interrogation centers and prisons are testifying on social media of similar experiences.
Myanmar women are not afraid of the military atrocities that have become increasingly violent and cruel every day since the coup broke out. He is angry and hated by the actions of the crime group against humanity, but he does not end there and insists that the military should fight stronger with that resentment. Women are organizing themselves guerrilla protesters in the center of the city to express their voices in a peaceful way.
On the one hand, the military coup d’état became a criminal group that did not hesitate to commit violence, torture, and even murder. The citizens of Myanmar were ultimately forced to defend themselves. The anti-coup d’état movement started as a peaceful demonstration, but in the end, Myanmar citizens were forced to walk the path of armed struggle due to the brutality of the military who mercilessly fired bullets and shells at the protesters. The first place to start the armed struggle was the Calais region of Sagaing Province. After that, young people from all over the country voluntarily joined the minority armed groups and started receiving military training. Contrary to popular belief, many women join the armed struggle.
On October 26, last year, the ‘Miyaung Women’s Guerrilla Forces (MWW)’ was officially organized in Miyaung Township, Sagaingju. The total number of women in this women’s guerrilla camp is 215, and the ages range from 18 to over 40. Most of the female guerrillas are college students, and some are office workers. A female soldier at the Miyauung Women’s Guerrilla Camp said: “We are women, and we are the owners of the ‘cradle-shaking hand’ (the hand that rocks the cradle: a metonymy expression of a woman who raises children, National Advisor Aung San Suu Kyi in 2018 celebrated International Women’s Day, saying, “If the hand that rocks the cradle, You have to pull it up. You can’t just rule it,” he said). We are women who oppose a coup d’état and do our best in the revolution. In the future, we will strive to achieve gender equality without discrimination and to enact legislation that will protect 100% of all women. To achieve our goals and dreams, we have chosen the armed struggle ourselves, and now we are participating in the revolution.”
Since the military coup, 128 women have been killed, 1,711 arrested, and 728 released, 122 convicted, and 700 warrants issued. These statistics are shown in the ‘Woman Power of the Myanmar Spring Revolution’ report published by the Association for Supporting Political Prisoners (AAPP) on February 16 to commemorate the women who died in resistance to the military. After the coup, it is difficult to provide accurate statistics due to the suppression of the media and the blocking of the Internet. The actual number of casualties at the scene is expected to be higher.
© EPN