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The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta

April 23, 2025/in Press Releases and Statements

The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma Releases New Briefing Paper,The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta 23 April 2025 Today, the Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma) releases a new briefing paper titled, The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription by the Military Junta. […]

The Enlistment of Women

April 23, 2025/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta It has now been over four years since the military junta attempted a coup. During this time, there has been widespread resistance and stark opposition to the regime’s brutality. Despite the fact that the coup was unlawful, even according to the military-drafted constitution, the junta has continued […]

The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta

April 23, 2025/in Press Releases and Statements

The Enlistment of Women

April 23, 2025/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

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The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta

April 23, 2025/in Press Releases and Statements

The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma Releases New Briefing Paper,
The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription
by the Military Junta

23 April 2025

Today, the Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma) releases a new briefing paper titled, The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription by the Military Junta. ND-Burma is alarmed by the regime’s actions to not only illegally and violently force young men to join the military but also to engage in recent activities that include the forced enlistment of women. Our latest research finds that women face immense risks in junta custody, and the dangerous attempts to make them fight on the battlefield present additional risks that undermine their safety and security.

Despite the Burmese military claiming that women would not be enlisted following the enactment of the People’s Military Service Law, registration for women between the ages of 18 and 27 began at the start of the year, prompting fears and uncertainty. The junta’s forced conscription is seen as the latest attempt to distract from their losses on the battlefield and the many soldiers who have defected from their ranks and battalions.

ND-Burma members are concerned about the safety and security of young women and girls. The gendered impacts of forced conscription have been catastrophic across various communities in Burma, where mothers, daughters, sisters and even pregnant women have been separated from their families to be enlisted. In Southeastern Burma, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) reported that women forced to serve under the junta have begun training in Kyaikto township, Mawlamyine. In the Mon State Revolutionary Force (MSRF), hundreds of women fled to liberation areas after the announcement of the fifth batch of recruitment.

Among the many human rights violations women face if forcibly conscripted include human trafficking, displacement, sexual exploitation, trauma and distress, sexual violence and others.

Additional insights from our members, notably women-led organizations such as the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand, the Ta’ang Women’s Organization, and the Tavoyan Women’s Union, were contextualized through their documentation of crimes against women and young girls. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence collected by women-led civil society organizations, which makes clear that misogyny and violent behaviour are tolerated and excused by the military junta.

Moreover, it is abundantly clear that the forced conscription effort must be met with intervention by the international community to ensure that no lives are lost or harm is inflicted upon the men and women compelled to fight in a war brutally imposed by the Burmese Army.

Women have asserted that the future of Burma must include gender equality. These goals must be achieved simultaneously to ensure that all people, regardless of gender, are granted the same protections, freedoms, and fundamental rights. Women human rights defenders continue to advocate for gender equality and reliable justice pathways for victims of violence in Burma. They must be heard, and their calls must be transformed into policies and laws to protect all women.

For more information:

Nai Aue Mon

Signal: +66 86 1679 741

San Htoi

Signal: +66 64 9369 070

The Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma (ND-Burma) consists of 13 organisations representing a range of ethnic nationalities, women, and former political prisoners. Since 2004, ND-Burma member organisations have been documenting human rights abuses and fighting for justice for victims. The network has nine full members and four affiliate members.

The Enlistment of Women

April 23, 2025/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription
by the Military Junta

It has now been over four years since the military junta attempted a coup. During this time, there has been widespread resistance and stark opposition to the regime’s brutality. Despite the fact that the coup was unlawful, even according to the military-drafted constitution, the junta has continued to violate international norms and principles by launching violent attacks against the opposition. Ethnic communities, in particular, have been terrorized by the junta’s relentless gunfire in their villages and temporary shelters, even in the absence of armed actors.

More than 3.5 million people have been displaced since the failed coup. Children are being denied safe pathways to education, as schools are routinely bombed in aerial raids and bombardments. Families are struggling to find work to sustain their livelihoods due to the presence of military soldiers and landmines surrounding their homes and farms.

With dwindling access to food due to inflation and a lack of work opportunities, many who have been displaced have resorted to foraging and relying on local vegetation for sustenance.

The attacks by the Burmese Army are increasing as local people are being accused of harbouring soldiers from the armed resistance. Military checkpoints are also being frequently expanded and established in various parts of the country, especially along popular routes, where individuals are questioned, extorted, and often disappear.

Many of the men and women who are stopped and interrogated find themselves being forcibly enlisted as part of the junta’s unlawful conscription efforts.

The People’s Military Service Law mandates conscription but had not been enforced for over a decade. However, last year, the junta began implementing it for the first time since it was passed, requiring men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to enlist.

The timing of its enactment is indicative of the junta’s desperation amid its increasing losses on the battlefield. Reports from the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), suggest that conscripted individuals, often youths, are deployed to front-line battles and forced to fight under the threat of violence.2 Though the law has now been in effect for over a year, regulations of the People’s Military Service Law were only recently passed in January2025, with several updates made.

FINAL_NBD_Women Conscription Download

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma Releases New Briefing Paper,The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta

Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta

ND Burma

Recent Posts

The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma Releases New Briefing Paper,
The Enlistment of Women: Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription
by the Military Junta

Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription
by the Military Junta