Community voice -1

 

“I am 35 and a married woman. Nowadays many women in our community experience gender-based violence. I also experienced such violence. Violence against women is shameful and unacceptable behaviour. Women are human beings. So they all should be treated with respect.

My husband used to beat me whenever he got drunk almost every day since he was out of the job due to the current crisis. I am not the one who was responsible for the situation happened to him. But we women are the ones who suffer such violence in the first place. 

To end violence against women, I sincerely want more GBV awareness sessions organized in the community as much as possible. When we do, men should be invited to participate in the awareness session as their engagement is important. I commit to provide my support to end gender-based violence from our community.”

• Community woman who experienced domestic violence

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here. 

 

Community voice -2 

 

“One of the biggest challenges to end gender-based violence is the influence of social culture and norms in the society. Some parents have too much control over their children. They want their children to live and do as what they are told to do so.

Another challenge is many women do not report or seek help because they believe that violence is normal. They are forced to live under the social norm that act of a husband beating his wife is ok. It becomes one of the underlying causes driving gender-based violence in our society for a long time. As a local women organization, we need to provide more awareness in our society on gender-based violence and educate the people that all forms of violence against women and girls are not acceptable.”

• Women CSO Leader

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

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Community voice -3

 

“It is important that we need to provide support for GBV survivors concerning their safety, protection and health care, but also access to social services and justice. We must ensure that survivors have more effective support for their long-term recovery and improved opportunities to break the cycle of violence.”

• GBV survivor & Women CSO Founder

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -4

 

“People with disabilities are more likely to experience gender-based violence. They suffer all forms of violence at their home, and in their community because of their vulnerabilities of being persons with disabilities. People living with disabilities have experienced from discrimination and different forms of violence, including sexual violence, abuse and prohibition in access to services and information. There are not many reliable services helping them effectively if they experience gender-based violence and need to seek support. So it is very important that we need to work together to end gender-based violence against persons with disabilities. 

Women with disabilities are two times more likely to experience gender-based violence than others. To end gender-based violence for all, we must include persons with disabilities at the centre of our programme work delivering GBV services and providing awareness.”

• One of the leaders of Disabled People Organization

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -5

 

“The root cause of gender-based violence is unequal power relationship between men and women. Gender equality is not simply – proportion of 50-50 between men and women. It is more than that. This initiative comes from women empowerment where women have opportunity to participate in decision making in the community. Only this can end gender-based violence. LGBTQIA+ people also experience gender-based violence. It starts with the discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people in the community which causes the people around them like their partner to commit violence against LGBTQIA+. The existing law cannot protect

LGBTQIA+ people and even make it worse. 

I call for an action to end discrimination and violence against LGBTQIA+ and endorse the law which can protect them.”

• LGBTQIA+ person from the community

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice-6

 

“While women and girls experience gender-based violence, survivors are often subjected to victim-blaming. This is wrong. Only perpetrators are the ones to be blamed and they must be brought to justice. I call for support from community leaders to take strong action against perpetrators and end gender-based violence.” 

• Community Religious Leader from Northern Rakhine

Audio in Rohingya language with Myanmar & English subtitles can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

 

Community voice -7

 

“Gender-based violence is one of the key issues in Northern Rakhine State. Gender inequality is the underlying cause which has rooted in our community. Women and girls experience domestic violence and sexual harassment. They cannot participate in decision making. We need to unite each and every individual effort to become a strong force if we want to end violence against women and girls for good. We must not blame survivors who experience gender-based violence. We need to help them to recover their physical and mental wellbeing. 

I commit to educate people in my community about gender-based violence, help survivors to access the GBV information and services, and provide mental health and psychosocial support.”

• Community women volunteer, Northern Rakhine

 

Audio in Rakhine language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -8 

 

“The role of families and people in our society to strengthen awareness raising among each other on gender-based violence is so much important. Violence against women and girls is unacceptable. As a community elder person, I commit to educate young people about gender-based violence and encourage them to understand the value of gender equality.”

• Community elder person

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -9

 

“Domestic violence, also known as Intimate Partner Violence, is the common form of gender-based violence existing in our society. Domestic violence can be in many forms such as mental, physical, economic or sexual abuses. Initimate partner violence can occur among those who are in close relationships including married or unmarried couples, lovers and so on. If we want to end violence against women and girls, we must start with ending power imbalance and inequality between men and women. Men must support to promote positive masculinity and gender equality which is a key driving force to end gender-based violence in our society.”

• A community housewife

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -10

 

“Everyone has stress and tensions due to the current situation and always find someone to be blamed for. Women with disabilities are easily targeted with the violence even in their family and experience gender-based violence. For displaced women affected by the conflict, the situation is even worse. This is happening more and more because persons with disabilities do not receive sufficient information and knowledge on gender-based violence, and they don’t know what services are available for them if it is happened. We need to provide information and services for persons with disabilities considering their specific needs based on four major types of disabilities, for example, providing information with sign language for those with hearing impairment, providing services for those with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive impairments ensuring they can easily access them.

This will help them understand about gender-based violence and know how to protect themselves and stay safe. They can even help anyone from their environment protected and refer to the service providers when needed.

To end violence against women, each and everyone in our community including persons with disabilities must know what is gender-based violence and all those necessary information. Previously, I even did not notice that some cases happened in local families were domestic violence. I commit to educate more people in my community about gender-based violence and call for the community to create a peaceful society free of violence against women and girls.”

• Women activist for the rights of persons with disabilities

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -11

 

“Our workplace must be free from gender-based violence. It is a fundamental human right for all of us. We must not ignore gender-based violence in our workplace including sexual harassment and abuses. Perpetrator must be held accountable. Survivor must be protected and provided with the services and care they need. Business organizations should establish internal gender-based violence (GBV) reporting system where staff can report cases in confidential manner and ensure that their staff are well informed about the system. It is the responsibility of everyone in the workplace to break the silence and eliminate gender-based violence from our society for good. 

• Women Manager from local business industry

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Communtiy voice -12

 

“Women experience different forms of gender-based violence. Women cannot access sexual and reproductive health services for many reasons. One of the reasons is – women cannot use the services unless their husband allows her to use contraceptives, or if her parents-in-law or other family members disagree with her to use those services, she can lose her right and choices for her body. If a woman gets pregnant, she has to sacrifice her career. Then she will be financially depending on her husband. Under this situation, she is more likely to experience violence; either physical, mental or sexual violence.

If gender-based violence happens, people in the community see it as a normal thing between couples. They are more likely to blame the woman as if she is not a good housewife for her husband. 

As a sexual and reproductive health service provider to fulfil our objective to ensure all women and girls access to sexual and reproductive health services, we must start eliminating gender discrimination and gender-based violence which are deeply rooted in our society. 

Today I call for each and every individual in our community to make a change for a better and equal society for all.”

• Sexual and reproductive health service provider in the community

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -13

 

“I am working for a gender-based violence prevention and response organization. I want to highlight the role of civil society organizations. Civil society organizations and GBV actors are at the forefront of the gender-based violence prevention and response in the conflict situation. Ensuring the urgent needs of survivor, protecting women and girls, and providing humanitarian access to reach affected communities on time are critical. It is important that humanitarian actors including GBV service providers urgently respond to the specific health, psychosocial, justice and other essential needs of women and girls. 

I call for each and every effort and initiative to support life-saving services for women and girls affected by conflict.” 

• Community worker of GBV prevention and response organization

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -14

 

“We all understand that women and girls are more likely to experience gender-based violence. Their safety and protection from violence always come to us as a priority of our work. But we all should be aware that men, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ people might also experience gender-based violence. We must consider our work to be more inclusive. Therefore, it is important tht men and women working together to achieve our goal to end gender-based violence. Everyone has a responsibility to protect and promote human rights.

I call for the community people to strengthen our GBV prevention and response and to eliminate gender-based violence in our times with the collective force of our generation.” 

• NGO staff working for GBV prevention and response

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -15

 

“As human beings, we women are entitled to human rights which include the right to live free from violence and discrimination. If we look into the situation carefully, women and girls from the ethnic minority areas suffer the most from the violence. Women do not know where and how to access services and information when they experience violence. Lack of justice system which can protect them is also one of the underlying causes for gender-based violence. Gender-based violence serverely affect the lives of women and girls. In addition to violence, there are series of consequences on their life and family in many aspects such as social, physical and mental wellbeings. Women are not second-class citizens. We have the right to live free from violence, the right to participate in every area of work and contribute their support in decision making. 

Now it’s the time we altogether must stand up for our rights. Women rights are human rights!!

• Women activist from ethnic minority

 

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.

 

 

Community voice -16

 

“Gender discrimination in our family which is seen as a normal issue is pervasive in our society and deeply rooted in our culture. Such gender discrimination according to one's gender, or sexual orientation creates a huge suffering for the person who experience it. He/She becomes vulnerable to experience violence and it can lead to life threatening situation such as suicides. We must stop gender discrimination in our society starting with our family.

Regardless of gender or sexual orientation, we must respect their rights and choices and provide care and support for them whenever needed. As human beings, we all entitled to live free of violence and discrimination.”

• Case Worker from local GBV organization

Audio in Myanmar language with English subtitle can be found on UNFPA Myanmar YouTube link here.