Myanmar Conflict: Exploring Displacement and Gender Dynamics

Myanmar has a long history of forced migration and internal displacement. During the Second World War, and subsequently, General Ne Win’s policies, which targeted the Indian minority community in Myanmar, fueled forced migrations to India. The prolonged conflict between the Myanmar military and the armed ethnic groups prompted significant migration under duress to neighboring countries such as China, India, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The elections raised hope that the security situation in Myanmar would stabilize significantly. However, the military coup after the 2020 elections fundamentally altered the trajectory of domestic politics, prompting an armed insurrection, which resulted in the displacement of people to neighboring countries in search of security and livelihoods. There is an urgent need to bring a gendered lens to these political developments in Myanmar. Many women have been at the forefront of the protests against the military. Simultaneously, the conflict has disrupted economic activity and undermined women’s labor rights in the formal sector, such as the garment industry. Working as undocumented people, women are vulnerable to exploitation in terms of wages, long hours of work and hostile work environments. In light of the above developments, the proposed paper will examine the impact of conflict on the lives of displaced people, including women, in Myanmar.