When conflict came to Burma’s Rohingya, women were forced to do something unexpected

The roles of family and society, dictated by culture and history, often disintegrate in the presence of conflict. And the Rohingya people, already one of the most persecuted ethnic minorities in the world, were no exception after last year’s violence in Burma.

Classified as foreigners by Burmese state legislation, the Rohingya have been deprived of basic human and civil rights for years. They are denied access to basic education, participation in the legal economy, health benefits, and the right to marry or own property. This systemic discrimination has made their existence difficult and precarious.

Then something cataclysmic happened. In June and October 2012, inter-communal violence erupted, marking the culmination of ethnic tension between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. This conflict was categorized in a Human Rights Watch report as a crime against humanity and was a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing. The result of the violence forced the majority of the Rohingya population to flee and live in exile in neighboring states, forming inadequate settlements for refugees, displaced, and stateless communities, the report found. More than 125,000 Rohingya people sought refuge in unregistered internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in different regions of Rakhine State in the northwestern part of Burma.

Those fleeing the abuse now suffer extreme insecurity and imprisonment in IDP camps, Human Rights Watch found. Barred by immigration security forces, they are forbidden from accessing markets, health care, or other necessities found outside the camps. At the same time, these forces restrict access to the camps for humanitarian aid.

When I visited the IDP camps in July, I found that the risk of flooding and sickness had become a reality—especially with the arrival of the monsoon season—and the situation was threatening to evolve into a full-scale humanitarian disaster.

The Rohingya face a grim reality. In the overcrowded camps, makeshift straw-covered structures are meant to be a temporary solution, but these soon turn into a permanent settlement and way of life. The lack of appropriate food and shelter, clean water, sanitation, and medical care is an all too familiar story for displaced communities, where desperation quickly erodes dignity and hope.

But, as I found on my visit, the violent campaign of ethnic cleansing in 2012 also culturally challenged traditional gender roles and forced the women of Rohingya to acknowledge their strength and value within the community. I interviewed women and male community leaders within the IDP camps who said that the events of June and October 2012 had caused a break in social structures, leaving many families without a male figure. This social disorder had a profound impact on gender relations within the Rohingya, they said. Women were forced to take on traditional male roles in order to ensure the survival of their families and community.

Conflict affects the life of women in a fundamentally different way. Symbolically positioned as the bearers of culture, ethnic identity, and responsibility for producing future generations, women are repeatedly undervalued in what is a traditional, patriarchal, and male-dominated community.

This photo-essay, which I’ve titled “Acts of Resilience,” depicts the plight of some of the Rohingya women in an effort to draw attention not only to their living conditions but also to the importance of the changing role of women in a state of conflict and post-conflict. I’ve sought to highlight the resilience, strength of character, and individuality of these women. Despite living in a day-to-day state of despair, these women uphold the responsibility of caring for their families and community, as well as the fate of a forgotten ethnic minority at risk of disappearing completely.