“A violation of human rights”: the Burmese junta restricts access to sanitary napkins, suspected of being diverted by the rebels

To fight against armed resistance, there is nothing like attacking women’s rights. This is apparently the point of view of the military junta in power in Burma, which has just drastically reduced access to periodic protection and sanitary napkins for women, reports The Guardian this Monday, April 20. The reason? They would be used by rebels opposed to the regime to care for the wounded in their ranks.

Burmese activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi, head of the local branch of the feminist association Sisters2Sisters, explains to the British daily that according to the ruling junta, “feminine hygiene products are used by the People’s Defense Force for medical purposes and to support their feet and boots by absorbing sweat and blood.”

Carrying sanitary napkins prohibited

The military government, in place since a coup in February 2021, has never officially confirmed these reports, but a blockade on sanitary napkins has been underway since August. Their transport across the bridge linking Sagaing to Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, is completely prohibited. Several associations campaigning for women’s rights in the country have alerted the United Nations on this subject, they consider this decision to be “a violation of human rights”.

Faced with this, many women turn to inappropriate alternatives, such as pieces of fabric or newspaper. Some also try to obtain sanitary napkins on the black market, where prices have tripled, from 3,000 kyats (1.21 euros) per pack to 9,000 kyats (3.64 euros), according to Thinzar Shunlei Yi. A considerable amount when we know that the daily minimum wage in Burma is 7,800 kyats, or 3.15 euros.