What the banning of sanitary pads in Myanmar tells us about its civil war
27/04/2026-16:01 27/04/2026-16:15 חדשות Channel Guardian News דיווח
“It’s basically gender-based violence,” said advocate Henriette Ceyrac, referring to a ban by Myanmar’s military regime on the use of sanitary towels. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► youtube.com
The authorities claim these products are being used to treat wounded resistance fighters. But according to Ceyrac, who founded a period education organisation, and other activists on the ground, the ban is about “restricting women’s movement even more”. The country has been locked in civil war since 2021, when the military overthrew the democratic government and launched a violent crackdown on dissidents. Artillery fire, the burning of townships and arbitrary arrests have since become common. In a country where the health system has collapsed, medical care is hard to access and Ceyrac said women are now exposed to illness during menstruation as they are forced to use unsafe alternatives such as rags, leaves, or newspapers. Thinzar Shunlei Yi, from Sisters2Sisters, a women’s rights collective that supports fighters, said she regularly receives requests for antibiotics to treat UTIs. She added that local groups have alerted the UN to the situation in Myanmar, calling the ban on such a basic commodity “a human rights violation”. Watch our video to understand what this means for Myanmar’s civil war. The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► support.theguardian.com
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#myanmar #civilwar #sanitarypads
The authorities claim these products are being used to treat wounded resistance fighters. But according to Ceyrac, who founded a period education organisation, and other activists on the ground, the ban is about “restricting women’s movement even more”. The country has been locked in civil war since 2021, when the military overthrew the democratic government and launched a violent crackdown on dissidents. Artillery fire, the burning of townships and arbitrary arrests have since become common. In a country where the health system has collapsed, medical care is hard to access and Ceyrac said women are now exposed to illness during menstruation as they are forced to use unsafe alternatives such as rags, leaves, or newspapers. Thinzar Shunlei Yi, from Sisters2Sisters, a women’s rights collective that supports fighters, said she regularly receives requests for antibiotics to treat UTIs. She added that local groups have alerted the UN to the situation in Myanmar, calling the ban on such a basic commodity “a human rights violation”. Watch our video to understand what this means for Myanmar’s civil war. The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► support.theguardian.com
Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► theguardian.com
#myanmar #civilwar #sanitarypads
