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035 _a.b12509802
099 9 _aAIT Thesis no.GD-26-07
100 1 _aNaw Hsar Hay Gay
245 1 0 _aBreaking the culture of silence :
_brights groups' strategies for addressing conflict-related sexual violence in Myanmar
260 _aPathum Thani, Thailand :
_bAsian Institute of Technology,
_c2026
300 _a81 leaves :
_bill.+
_e1 Online resource
490 1 _aThesis ;
_vno. no.GD-26-07
500 _aA thesis submitted in patial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Gender and Development Studies
502 _aThesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2026
520 _aConflict-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.
650 0 _aSexual violence victims
_zMyanmar
650 0 _aRape as a weapon of war
_zMyanmar
700 0 _aDuanghathai Buranajaroenkij,
_eChairperson
700 1 _aKusakabe, Kyoko,
_eExamination Committee
700 1 _aBanerjee, Paula,
_eExamination Committee
710 2 _aDeutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), Germany,
_eScholarship Donor
810 2 _aAsian Institute of Technology.
_tThesis ;
_vno. no.GD-26-07
856 4 0 _3Full-Text
_uhttp://203.159.5.9/ait-thesis/detail.php?q=B24571
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