Women and girls first
Gender-specific violence in Myanmar has increased since the COVID-19 crisis and the military coup in 2021. An extensive programme offers a range of services for victims, strengthens civil society resources and sensitises communities to preventive approaches.
Tears of joy roll down Hur Jannat's cheeks. She is happy to be able to go back to school. After her father died, her uncle had supported the young Rohingya girl. But then, he suddenly decided that she was too old to go to school. Jannat is 16. In Myanmar, where she lives, "teenagers are not allowed to leave the house, and many are married off early," she says. This was exactly what her uncle had planned for her.
The young woman was in complete despair – until she took part in a session to raise awareness about gender-based violence. The session was organised by UNFPA in her village of Kun Taing in the western part of the country as part of the SDC-funded Women and Girls First (WGF) programme.
After the session, Jannat confided in the moderator about her problem and suggested that she meet with her uncle. She lost no time to arrange the meeting which took place a few days later and helped her uncle realise that he had not considered women’s rights or the consequences of an early marriage. He reversed his decision and allowed his niece to continue to go to school.
Political instability
Early marriages have increase of late. The reasons go back to the COVID-19 pandemic and the coup on 1 February 2021 whereby the military junta seized power and arrested the head of government, Aung San Suu Kyi. Ever since, fighting has been raging in Myanmar between the army on one side and the People's Defence Force as well as ethnic rebel groups on the other. "The coup has undone all progress the country had made towards becoming a young democracy. With poverty rising and access to health services becoming increasingly difficult, violence against women and girls has increased," says Séverine Weber, deputy director of international cooperation at the Swiss embassy in Myanmar.
The Women and Girls First programme provides medical, psychosocial, legal and career support. It also raises awareness amongst communities, civil society and religious leaders about preventing violence against women and girls. Like Hur Jannat, thousands of them have benefited from the project.
Swiss relief assistance after Cyclone Mocha
Cyclone Mocha made landfall on the coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar on 14 May 2023 causing heavy rainfall, storm surges and gale-force winds. Various sources put the death toll in Rakhine State between 160 and 400, most of whom were Rohingya. Thousands of buildings were destroyed while the infrastructure was heavily damaged. Switzerland provided CHF 3.1 million to support the affected population. About CHF 2.4 million were contributed to the UN Myanmar Humanitarian Fund and to Swiss-supported partners in the region for relief measures after the cyclone. The remaining CHF 700,000 were allocated to UNHCR in Bangladesh for the construction of secure and durable housing for victims of the cyclone.
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