Impacts of conflict felt especially by women: report

By Admin 05 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
5 December 2024, Sittwe

The ongoing military conflicts across Myanmar have left people struggling to cope with daily social hardships, with rising prices, job shortages, and health and economic hardships having a disproportionate impact on women, according to a recent report by the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar).

“The burdens of these situations that the general public faces also weigh heavily on women. From struggling to cope with household chores and livelihoods, to wage cuts and even domestic violence, women are bearing the brunt of the trauma,” the report said.

In Myanmar, the ongoing fighting following the military coup has led to skyrocketing prices and local residents are facing shortages of basic foodstuffs and medicine.

“Even though the price of goods has gone up, our income has not increased. Our household expenses are increasing day by day. Before, we used to spend K10,000 a day for five people, but now it costs K25,000 a day. We can’t even eat meat or fish every day,” said Daw Aye Aye, a housewife in Arakan State.

Food prices have increased nearly ninefold in some cases since Myanmar’s military regime imposed a blockade on Arakan State following renewed hostilities with the Arakkha Army (AA) that began on November 13 of last year.

The ISP-Myanmar report states that in addressing the current crisis, women are increasingly frugal in preference to other family members, resulting in concerns about nutritional balance and health.

“If a family member has a health issue, it is not easy to save up extra money for treatment. I am thinking about how to spend the money I earn to make it affordable. At present, there is no extra money for social purposes, and the cost of cooking is more important than ever,” said a local woman in Myebon Township.

The basic wage set in Myanmar for 2024 is K6,800, but under the current situation, there are workers who do not even receive a wage of K4,800, especially women, according to the report.

Currently, people in most of the townships where fighting is taking place across the country are experiencing shortages of basic food and medicine, power outages, and transportation difficulties.