With thousands reported dead or injured, and critical infrastructure damaged, including health facilities, airports, major roads and bridges, and electricity and water systems down, the latest disaster has intensified the challenges for Myanmar’s women and girls.
Even before the earthquake, more than a third of Myanmar’s people— including 10.4 million women and girls—needed urgent humanitarian aid.
Recap of at what women and girls are reporting after the Myanmar earthquake:
1. Women and girls face increased risk of gender-based violence
With homes and infrastructure destroyed, women and girls are in overcrowded, makeshift shelters where they lack privacy and security. In many cases, they are staying outside in tents or with only blankets or sheets to separate spaces, and with limited lighting. Without access to gender-based violence services, survivors cannot get the help they need.
2. Family separation and children at risk
Children separated from families and caregivers and living in overcrowded shelters face increased risks of violence, trafficking, and unsafe migration. The risks are particularly heightened for girls, who may experience sexual violence or be forced into early marriages.
3. Disrupted healthcare has deadly consequences for women’s reproductive health
Many hospitals and health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, and the ones that remain standing are overwhelmed. Due to damaged roads and fuel shortages, women are finding it harder to access services. For women and girls, this translates to dwindling access to care for survivors of gender-based violence, or for safe childbirth and maternal health.
4. Lack of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
Women and girls report insufficient and unsafe toilets and bathing spaces, making it difficult to maintain hygiene, especially during menstruation, pregnancy and post birth. In one temporary camp, the members of the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group observed only 14 toilets available for 1,200 people. There is also risk of diseases from contaminated water sources, as electric pumps are not working.
5. Women and girls are at increased risk of hunger and malnutrition
Food is becoming scarce and there are very few functioning markets. As prices are expected to rise and since women and girls are often responsible for feeding and caring for their families, they are at risk of getting less food and lower quality nutrition. Women-headed households struggle to access emergency relief and financial assistance and need income sources to cope with the disaster.
6. Mental health impact
Almost everyone affected by a humanitarian crisis experiences psychological distress. Around 1 in 5 people will go on to develop long term mental health conditions, yet only 2 per cent get the care they need. The mental health impact of the earthquake on Myanmar’s women and adolescent girls is profound, as they struggle with the trauma of losing homes, loved ones, while scrambling to survive and care for those who remain. The fresh trauma comes on top of the stress caused by the prolonged conflict and economic instability in the country.