Women with disability faced more difficulty

Honest Information (HI)

A woman said with worried that she does not know which place will be bombed and she always thinks where to run for her safety.

The civil war started in terms of the fight between Chin (People Defense Force) and Military Junta happened at the end of April.

Since then, people are fleeing from their home to the jungle as they need to find a safe hiding place from fighting. A woman with disability like Eli Ni is a person who is fleeing like other people in the country.

Eli Ni works in one of disable networks in Kan Palat and now she has become the IDPs and faces various difficulties during fleeing and hiding in a safe place.

By the end of June, it is about 20,000 numbers of IDPs in Chin State, according to the United Nation’s. Some people are hiding in the jungle for nearly two or three months without having the proper foods and struggling to survive.

The people survive for their daily life with the foods they have brought from home and finding the vegetable from nearby. They have to sleep so harshly in the jungle and past their days and night under many anxieties.

“Mostly I cannot sleep till the sun rise as I am under anxieties besides, I cannot eat” Eli Ni mentioned.

According to the 2014 national census, there are more than 2.3 million people with disabilities in Myanmar, which has a population of over 51 million.

Even in a normal situation, the people with a disability are losing their human rights in Burma, besides equipment and facilities adapted for them are not adequate. The current civil war’s situation is getting worst and harsh for them.

“I am not like others people. If I run away to get to the safe side, I need help from others. As I am not like other people, I have to follow with other during fleeing” She mentioned.

Eli Ni added, “I want to help with some works during relocation but I can’t as I could not do like other.”

Aside from it, she already prepared her mind for the worst situation. “If they come to the place where we are hiding, if I can’t run, I am sure I will have to face whatever comes to me.” Eli Ni said sadly.

Yee Tar Lin from Hpruso township, Kayah State, is also facing like Eli Ni.

In the middle of May in Demoso Township at Kayah State, there was civil war between the military council and People Defense Force of Karenni happened. This leads the people to flee to another area for their safety.

Due to the civil war between Military Junta and People Defense Force, over 100,000 people from Kayah state became refugees which have a population of about 300,000. By seeing this, we can say one of three people from Kayah State is fleeing from war.

Yee Tar Lin has been fleeing for one month and she temporarily stays at a small village near Hpruso Township. Yee Tar Lin is one of the disable groups but her body has no trouble with moving as she has no problem with walking. Instead, she is worried about other disabilities that faced difficulties on moving.

“Some people with disability and elder people are staying in a monastery or hiding in the safe places, but if something happens, some people will be ok to move away but some are not. Some people said they will die here.” said Yee Tar Lin.

Yee Tar Lin who has been running her own small business and doing volunteering jobs for people with disability in her hometown but now she turns into get ready to flee if the situation is getting worse.

Women with disability face many difficult situations due to the current political situation.

Ma Thidar’s income is the main source for her six families. She lived in Taungoo City, before this coup happened, she worked volunteering for one of the disability projects but now she is working as a guard of a farm. The current political situation also effect to her income.

“My family members were worrying because of the current situation but I try to support them.” she added “I feel worried about almost everything”.

Even she received some support from a disable organization but still facing to access for further more as she could not even afford for her phone bill to make contact.

The current political situation raises concerns about the safety of women with disabilities, as well as accessing to health and hospitals is very challenging, and even the times prior to the current political crisis, people with disability are being difficult to have the proper services.

Ma Sew Sew, who live in Magway Region and as a tuition teacher also faced difficulties like other disable person.

“Since before the military coup I have faced difficulty for movement in my daily life but the current situation is making me more difficult” Ma Sew Sew said.

Aside from facing the difficulties for herself, she even worries for her parents.

“I feel deep sorrow for my parents who are worrying about me. They can’t even sleep because of stress. I myself, get more pressure.”

Some groups said the disable people would face more challenges and barriers due to the current situation.

Disable women were facing many difficulties but they still have a hope, full of strengths and when revolution is over, they hope to fulfill their life goals.

No one know how it will be look like in the near future, but when the country situation becomes stable,
Yee Tar Lin and Ma Swe Swe have been hoping to work more volunteer jobs for communities, especially to work for the people with disability.