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Myanmar: Difference between revisions
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===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ||
In Myanmar, you can obtain birth control. According to a 2015 study, 52% of women in Myanmar (who are married or in unions) use | In Myanmar, you can obtain birth control. According to a 2015 study, 52% of women in Myanmar (who are married or in unions) use any form of contraception, including traditional methods like the rhythm method or withdrawal. The number of women using modern methods of contraception is about 40%.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/jun/16/rural-myanmar-desperate-need-family-planning-services-access-contraception Baby blues: rural Myanmar’s desperate need for family planning services]</ref> The most common modern methods are injectables (29.4%), the pill (12.3%), female sterilization (3.8%) and the IUD (2.2%).<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015]</ref> In 2013, UNFPA reported that one in four women in Myanmar do not have their family planning needs met.<ref>[http://myanmar.unfpa.org/news/unfpa-sponsored-family-planning-centers-yangon-proof-myanmar-commitments UNFPA-sponsored family planning centers in Yangon proof of Myanmar commitments]</ref> However, this number may have improved since 2013. | ||
While women in cities like Yangon and Mandalay have easy access to contraception, village women of Myanmar face additional hurdles. It is commonly believed that contraception goes against God's wishes and promotes promiscuity. Furthermore, sex education is not taught in Burmese schools, and sex before marriage is taboo. If a woman is having sex before marriage, the social stigma attached to her choices may discourage her from seeking out contraception. Village women often live in isolated environments that do not have easy access to nearby towns, and some dirt paths were washed away in past storms.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/jun/16/rural-myanmar-desperate-need-family-planning-services-access-contraception Baby blues: rural Myanmar’s desperate need for family planning services]</ref> | |||
In 2015, Myanmar introduced a family law that has been criticized as targeting Muslim minorities. According the law, signed by President Thein Sein, Myanmar's state or regional governments can now request a presidential order, which gives local authorities the power to "organize" when women have children (i.e. they can enforce gaps of 36 months between births). This legislation was driven by nationalist Buddhist monks who fear a growing Muslim population.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/25/burmas-birth-control-law-exposes-buddhist-fear-of-muslim-minority Burma's birth control law exposes Buddhist fear of Muslim minority]</ref> Among the parties that have expressed concern about the bill are the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. | In 2015, Myanmar introduced a family law that has been criticized as targeting Muslim minorities. According the law, signed by President Thein Sein, Myanmar's state or regional governments can now request a presidential order, which gives local authorities the power to "organize" when women have children (i.e. they can enforce gaps of 36 months between births). This legislation was driven by nationalist Buddhist monks who fear a growing Muslim population.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/25/burmas-birth-control-law-exposes-buddhist-fear-of-muslim-minority Burma's birth control law exposes Buddhist fear of Muslim minority]</ref> Among the parties that have expressed concern about the bill are the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. | ||