AI SearchBreaking the culture of silence : rights groups' strategies for addressing conflict-related sexual violence in Myanmar
Call Number: AIT Thesis no.GD-26-07 Material type:
SeriesSeries: Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. no.GD-26-07Publication details: Pathum Thani, Thailand : Asian Institute of Technology, 2026Description: 81 leaves : ill.+ 1 Online resourceSubject(s): Online resources: Dissertation note: Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2026 Summary: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) persists as a systemic weapon of war in Myanmar but is largely covered by a pervasive culture of silence, fueled by impunity, victim-blaming, and the state's weakened legal system. This thesis investigates the crucial strategies employed by rights groups and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Myanmar to address and challenge the culture of silence, particularly in the profoundly challenging post-2021 military-coup context. This study employs a qualitative research methodology, drawing on 15 semi-structured interviews between February and March 2026, comprising 9 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with staff from women{u2019}s and human rights organizations, and 6 key informant interviews (KIIs) with academic scholars, legal experts, activists, and journalists working on CRSV in Myanmar. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal that the culture of silence functions across three interconnected layers: direct silence enforced by threats from perpetrators, structural silence produced by institutional impunity and the absence of accessible justice mechanisms, and cultural silence rooted in social stigma and victim-blaming. Rights groups and CSOs respond through conflict sensitive documentation, community awareness-raising, and survivor-centered empowerment approaches, although each strategy faces significant constraints in the active conflict environment. The study further demonstrates that CRSV and impunity are not limited to state actors. The resistance groups, such as People's Defense Forces (PDFs) and Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs), have limited space in addressing sexual violence. This highlights a key paradox of resistance in which the movement aiming for political liberation is delaying gender justice, exposing the structural limits of real change during ongoing conflicts.
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Asian Institute of Technology Library Archives | AIT Thesis no.GD-26-07 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Not for loan |
A thesis submitted in patial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Gender and Development Studies
Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2026
Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) persists as a systemic weapon of war in Myanmar but is largely covered by a pervasive culture of silence, fueled by impunity, victim-blaming, and the state's weakened legal system. This thesis investigates the crucial strategies employed by rights groups and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Myanmar to address and challenge the culture of silence, particularly in the profoundly challenging post-2021 military-coup context. This study employs a qualitative research methodology, drawing on 15 semi-structured interviews between February and March 2026, comprising 9 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with staff from women{u2019}s and human rights organizations, and 6 key informant interviews (KIIs) with academic scholars, legal experts, activists, and journalists working on CRSV in Myanmar. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal that the culture of silence functions across three interconnected layers: direct silence enforced by threats from perpetrators, structural silence produced by institutional impunity and the absence of accessible justice mechanisms, and cultural silence rooted in social stigma and victim-blaming. Rights groups and CSOs respond through conflict sensitive documentation, community awareness-raising, and survivor-centered empowerment approaches, although each strategy faces significant constraints in the active conflict environment. The study further demonstrates that CRSV and impunity are not limited to state actors. The resistance groups, such as People's Defense Forces (PDFs) and Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs), have limited space in addressing sexual violence. This highlights a key paradox of resistance in which the movement aiming for political liberation is delaying gender justice, exposing the structural limits of real change during ongoing conflicts.
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