Abortions in Myanmar are punishable by prison time, unless women can prove their pregnancy puts their lives at risk. The lack of access to safe, legal abortions forces some women to resort to life-threatening measures.
Tag: Irrawaddy
Myanmar Activist: We Want Our Own Script
Amid the anti-coup protests in Myanmar, activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi went into hiding to avoid arrest. After years spent protesting her country’s military, she explains why current demonstrations must do more than just restore civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
When the Myanmar Military Almost Decriminalised Drug Use
Myanmar’s carceral approach to drug control is typical of Southeast Asia. But there was a moment in time when things could have been different.
Debts, Durian and the Decline of Strand Night Market
The authorities in Yangon, Myanmar, had meant for the move of the Strand Night Market to ease traffic congestion and improve the regulation of street hawkers, but gaps in planning ended up causing a drop in business.
“Our Mother Sold Us for One Lakh Each”
Poverty and peaking ethnic tensions fuel human trafficking in Myanmar, putting millions of women and other marginalised groups at risk.
The Human Cost of Myanmar’s Jade Mines
Over 500 informal jade pickers have been killed in landslides in Myanmar in the past five years. Unsafe conditions in the jade mines continue to put people at risk, and families of those who have been killed say that independent inspections and better law enforcement are urgently needed.