Myanmar

In Myanmar, women are crossing divides that men built

In a part of Myanmar where ethnic tension has repeatedly turned into violence, a group of women from different backgrounds started meeting regularly and, over time, built something meaningful.

In one state, marginalised communities live side by side, but rarely together. Women from different ethnic backgrounds were not supposed to speak freely to one another without permission. In the space that silence left, hate speech, propaganda and rumour grew.

Local peacebuilders set out to change that. They brought together women from across ethnic divides. The meetings gave women space to talk about the challenges they faced. As they talked, they began to recognise each other as people navigating many of the same struggles.

As violence in the area intensified, Rohingya women found themselves unable to leave their homes, cut off from the women’s group they had come to rely on. The other women in the group responded practically: they went to the market and bought sanitary pads, medicine and food, and delivered them to their Rohingya friends.

Over time, the women developed an informal early warning network, passing on information about potential eruptions of violence and giving their communities a better chance of staying safe.

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