Unwanted Pregnancy: Another By-Product of Armed Conflict in Arakan

By Admin 31 May 2024

Written by Myo Thiri Kyaw
 
“I don’t want another baby yet. But I can do nothing after I get pregnant,” said Daw Aye Kyi, who asked that DMG use a pseudonym to tell her story.
 
The 38-year-old lived in Danyawaddy Ward in the Arakan State capital Sittwe, where she and her husband made a living by selling sugarcane juice. The couple have an 11-year-old daughter.
 
As fighting between Myanmar’s military regime and the Arakkha Army (AA) disrupted the supply of sugarcane, the three-member family fled to Mrauk-U Township in early December of last year.
 
The regime has blockaded roads and waterways in Arakan State following the launch of the AA’s offensive in November of last year, cutting off trade. The blockade has led to shortages of consumer goods, medicines and other healthcare supplies including contraceptives.
 
In particular ways, the shortages have had greater impacts on married women in rural villages and displaced wives than on married women in urban areas.
 
“I did not notice that I got pregnant. I had an unwanted pregnancy because I failed to take contraceptives. I am four months pregnant now,” said Daw Aye Kyi.
 
More than 180,000 people have been displaced by the renewed fighting in Arakan State and Paletwa Township, and among them are thousands of married women, according to volunteers helping displaced people.
 
According to a survey by reproductive healthcare providers, married women in rural Arakan mainly used contraceptive pills of three main brands — OK, Seit Cha and Lydia Fine.
 
A blister pack containing 28 pills for four weeks’ course previously sold for 1,500 kyats. But the price has increased to 12,000 kyats following the fighting. But in rural areas, it is almost impossible to buy contraceptive pills.
 
Without income or humanitarian assistance, many married women can’t afford to buy contraceptive pills.
 
“We have no job and no income. We can’t afford to buy it. I haven’t taken contraceptive pills for more than one month. To buy it where it is available, the transportation costs alone will cost more than the cost of the contraceptive,” said Daw Khaing Shwe Wah, who is taking shelter in Mrauk-U.
 
The cost of travelling to the town to buy contraceptive pills is five times higher than the cost of contraceptive pills, according to married women in rural areas.
 
Contraceptive injection stocks have also run out in Arakan State.
 
Sixteen percent of married women aged between 15 and 44 take contraceptive pills every month, according to a survey by health professionals.
 
A male healthcare worker providing reproductive healthcare services in Arakan State said: “We have seen many unwanted pregnancies during this difficult period. They have been both mentally and physically exhausted, and it is risky for them to give birth considering the difficult access to hospital care.”
 
While women have lost access to basic medicines and healthcare services during the fighting period, they don’t feel safe both physically and mentally, said a women’s rights activist.
 
“It is difficult to get contraceptives during this period. What’s worse, condoms are also not easily available. It is a violation of women’s rights to have an unwanted pregnancy. Women suffer more during this period,” she said.
 
Medicines needed in Arakan State were mainly imported via land and water routes, and emergency medicines were occasionally imported by airline. However, it is no longer permitted to import medicine into Arakan State due to the junta blockades.
                                            
The people of the 10 townships held by the AA and the townships still under the control of the military council are using only the medicine left over from before the previous fighting began.
 
Healthcare workers say that due to medicine shortages in Arakan State, it is impossible to effectively administer birth control pills, medicines that are regularly given to pregnant women and children under 2 years of age, and vaccines for measles, Japanese encephalitis, polio and other ailments.
 
Daw Aye Kyi is currently in her second trimester, and said that fortunately, there are currently no known health risks for her or the baby.
 
“I am more than four months pregnant, but I can’t take any medicine or inject anything. I don’t have money, so I can’t buy drugs. We are struggling to eat regularly,” she said.
 
Some hospitals in AA-controlled townships have been opened and measures have been taken to improve the spiralling state of public health in many communities.
 
As the regime is targeting some of these hospitals and clinics with aerial attacks, pregnant women are worried about giving birth, said Daw Hla Khin Htay, a pregnant woman who fled the fighting in Tumyaung Village, Kyauktaw Township.
 
“I am having a baby next month. I am also very worried about going to the hospital. I am so scared thinking about birthing a baby,” she added.

• Casualties reported in junta airstrike on rural hospital in Kyauktaw Twsp

Pregnant women should receive at least one ultrasound scan before six months of pregnancy, nutritious food, medicines and adequate healthcare as needed. For many in Arakan State over the past six months, these prenatal care standards have not been met.
 
A healthcare worker said that as a consequence of pregnant women losing access to healthcare during the fighting, they may experience difficulties during childbirth.
 
“If pregnant women are malnourished or have iron deficiency, the child may have malformed limbs. If [delivery] is not done properly, both the child and the mother may lose their lives. Currently, the health department is unable to do anything to prevent these things from happening,” the healthcare worker said.
 
Myanmar’s military regime, which has faced defeat after military defeat in Arakan State, is increasingly targeting hospitals, health workers and innocent civilians, causing civilian casualties to rise steadily in recent months.
 
At least five pregnant mothers lost their lives for preventable, conflict-related reasons during the more than six months of fighting between the military and the AA, with the actual figure likely higher on the ground.
 
Daw Aye Kyi and her family fled the war and have since struggled to find a job, with their new baby’s needs foremost in their thoughts. 
 
“No matter the circumstances, I will give birth to the child. But I am very worried about the child’s future during this difficult time,” she said.