#NoExcuse. UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls

Yangon, 25 November 2024 – On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and every day, the United Nations (UN) in Myanmar unequivocally condemns gender-based violence in all its forms. We recognize the resilience of Myanmar’s women and girls who face heightened risks of violence amid ongoing crises, and the local organisations—many led by women—which tirelessly continue to provide support and advocate for change in the face of insecurity and severely limited resources.

Today also marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which we are commemorating in Myanmar under the theme: #NoExcuse. UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls, aligning with the UN Secretary General’s UNiTE campaign. We call for urgent and intensified action to end violence against Myanmar’s women and girls, including increased and better-quality investment in local women’s rights organisations.

Myanmar’s multiple crises put women and girls at greater risk of violence.

Women in conflict and humanitarian contexts are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence. In Myanmar, 9.7 million women and girls are in urgent humanitarian need[1] and marginalized due to multiple crises including armed conflict, severe and increasing levels of poverty and food insecurity, economic and political instability, and frequent natural disasters. These fragile conditions significantly increase the risk of gender-based violence and create barriers for women and girls to access essential services, including multi-sectoral support and justice for gender-based violence survivors.

Child marriage rates also soar in conflict-affected areas, increasing by 20%.[2] In Myanmar, more children are being pulled out of school and early, and child marriages are rising as families in crisis resort to forcing young girls to marry for perceived protection and survival. Women and girls with disabilities are even further marginalized as they are at least two to four times more likely than other women to experience violence. The risk is even higher during conflicts and crises.[3]

As the Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted in his statement today: “Crises of conflict, climate, and hunger have inflamed inequalities. Horrendous sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war. And women and girls face a torrent of online misogyny. The situation is compounded by a growing backlash against women and girls’ rights.”

 

Local women-led organisations are key, but low-quality funding is holding back change.

Violence against women and girls is preventable, but funding for programming to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls is woefully inadequate—globally and in Myanmar. Less than 0.2% of global official development assistance is directed to preventing violence against women and girls.[4]

This must change. A comprehensive approach is the only sustainable option to address the root causes and prevent violence against women and girls.  

Local organizations in Myanmar, including civil society and women-led organizations, play a critical role in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls, yet they face significant funding challenges. Many report that funding is sporadic, inflexible and short-term, which disrupts service continuity, erodes community engagement, and limits the impact of social norm interventions. This uncertainty also hinders strategic planning, partnership building and the ability to provide sustained support such as relocation or livelihood assistance for survivors of violence. 

The UN in Myanmar works in partnership with local organizations to address violence against women and girls in all its forms, improve access to survivor-centred services and justice, and promote gender equality to stop gender-based violence from happening in the first place. We are therefore committed to continue finding flexible, longer-term, accessible funding mechanisms that allow women’s rights organizations and all partners to respond to the needs of survivors and communities and prioritise gender equality. 

All women and girls have the right to live a life free of violence and full of dignity—it is a fundamental human right. To achieve this, the men and boys in Myanmar must stand as allies in ending gender-based violence. This begins with challenging harmful norms, speaking out against violence in all its forms, and promoting respect and equality in their families, communities, and workplaces. Only by fostering a culture of accountability and solidarity can we create a future where women and girls live free from fear and violence.

As we mark the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, the UN in Myanmar reaffirms its commitment to stay and deliver gender-based violence prevention, mitigation, and response services with local partners to end violence against women and girls. To echo the Secretary-General, “…it’s beyond time to deliver.”   

About the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based-Violence

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, from 25 November to 10 December 2024, is a global campaign that highlights violence against women as a critical human rights issue. Through the UN Secretary General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence Against Women initiative, the UN in Myanmar joins global efforts to raise awareness, push for prevention, and demand accountability to end violence against women and girls.

[1] UN OCHA Myanmar, Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2024.

[2] Save the Children (2022). Global Girlhood Report: Girls on the frontline, page 5.  

[3] Dunkle K, Heijden I, Stern E, Chirwa E. Disability and violence against women and girls. London: UKaid; 2018, cited in Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022.

[4] The Accelerator for GBV Prevention 2022.