From the desk of Han Yin, Manager,
A few days ago, I had a conversation with a 25-year-old woman, who lives in
Yangon Burma. She is full of stress and uncertainty, due to the threat of military
conscription.
She immediately said that she was scared. She reads and hears about women
getting conscripted, and she feels anxious. She said she feels like she cannot
plan her future because everything is uncertain.
Her family talks about it. But they too are helpless.
Her friends talk about it. Before, they would talk about jobs, relationships, and
travel. Now, they are frustrated. A few have even stopped making long-term
plans because they do not know what their future will look like. She told me that it
feels like everyone is living with a question mark hanging over their heads.
She said there are nights when she cannot sleep. She feels exhausted due to the
uncertainty. She wants a normal life, but she can’t have it.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = == =
My conversation with this young lady was depressing.
Even more depressing was this comment, originally published by the Burmese
Women’s Union, from a woman in Southern Shan State:
“If a man is conscripted, he may be subjected to beatings and face other
forms.
However, it is not similar in the case of women. What I am concerned
about most is gangrape if I am conscripted. Especially some women are
also worried about sexual gender-based violence. I think there is no way
to come back after being conscripted.”