I’m a government minister hiding in the jungle – this is the situation in Myanmar

Tomorrow will mark one year since the unlawful military coup of February 2021 that stole our people’s freedom, denying us the opportunity to live in a safe and secure environment.

As Myanmar’s first ever minister for women, youth and children, I write this from a hideout in the jungle. With Covid-19 continuing to ravage the country and the military ruthlessly hunting anyone seen as a political threat, getting to an internet connection safely is a challenge. My only access to the internet is via a solar panel, making my daily connection to the outside world weather permitting.

Since the start of the Civil Disobedience Movement, the military has attacked peaceful protesters in the streets of cities and townships across the country. The Tatmadaw has tortured, abused and murdered civilians, raided and shelled villages and cut off vital medical, food and water supplies. More than 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and seek shelter in camps for internally displaced persons. Over 1,000 innocent lives have been lost at the hands of the military, including 60 children.

On Christmas Eve, the military perpetrated a merciless massacre of innocent civilians. On a day that for many symbolises charity, peace and the provision of shelter for the needy, a convoy of seven vehicles carrying 35 civilians was stopped by government soldiers. The group, made up of men, women, children and two humanitarian aid workers from Save the Children, were travelling through Kayah State with the aim of seeking shelter in a nearby camp. They were executed on the spot and their vehicles set alight.

It is not clear from the autopsies whether the victims were shot or stabbed. Several of the charred bodies were found with their arms tied behind their backs. This was a crime against humanity. I wonder why few outside my country have noticed.

This recent assault on innocent civilians follows months of indiscriminate aerial attacks on towns and villages, and is part of a ruthless scorched earth policy the Myanmar military is pursuing. Thousands of pregnant women are being forced to give birth on the run, in the jungle, in abandoned villages and with little or no assistance. With minimal access to obstetric care, the numbers of women and children dying in childbirth has increased and immunisations for children have virtually ceased. Thousands of women and children are at risk of death from preventable disease and malnutrition as a result of lack of access to adequate food and clean water.

The Ministry for Women, Youth and Children (MOWYCA) is the first of its kind in my country. It sits under the leadership of the National Unity Government (NUG). The NUG is a political party born out of resistance to the coup. Made up of democratically elected officials who managed to evade arrest, ethnic group representatives and leaders of protest movements, it is a legitimate representative body that embodies the people’s will. It is committed to safeguarding human rights to those who have been marginalised in the past.

With the help of 570 volunteer members of the Civil Disobedience Movement who work under the Ministry, MOWYCA has distributed funds and maternity kits (containing medicine, gauze, scissors and tweezers) to 1,500 women unable to access medical care, arbitrarily held in prisons or forced to take refuge in IDP camps.

Following testimonies given to MOWYA by survivors of gender-based violence while in detention, the Ministry has lobbied the international community to end violence against women. Myanmar is a signatory to global compacts to respect the rights of women. The military ignores these commitments in their pursuit of power.

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We have visited centres for internally displaced persons to distribute emergency food, PPE, medicine and financial assistance to 10,000 people. We have run online campaigns calling for the end of violence during conflict. MOWYA has supported youth capacity building initiatives and created parental guidance videos to support mental health for children and families suffering from trauma and depression following the coup. A key part of our work has been advocating for children in detention and supporting their families.

MOWYA has provided human rights activists with essential transportation and shelter, and we are also working closely with the Ministry for Human Rights to monitor and report human rights violations, atrocities and other brutal actions carried out by the SAC against the people of Myanmar.

The people of Myanmar are determined to change the course of history and fight for democracy. I believe in collective power and the fact that Myanmar’s people will never accept this military coup. We need the outside world to hear our voice, international pressure is needed for a ceasefire and a peaceful transition. We need assistance to deal with the ever-growing Covid-19 situation, which is worsening by the day.

As the country’s first minister for women, youth and children, my goal is for the Ministry to champion the democratically expressed will of the people of Myanmar by keeping women safe, so that they and their families can build the new society we need.

Naw Susanna Hla Hla Soe is Myanmar’s first minister for women, youth and children