Burma

The Swedish Foundation for Human Rights has for a long time supported civil society actors within the democracy movement in Burma. The overall objective is to strengthen the capacity of Burmese civil society to work for the respect and protection of human rights, as well as to promote accountability and justice for human rights violations. Our focus areas are the rights of women and LGBTIQ+ persons, as well as transitional justice.

: Han Gyi från partnerorganisationen ND Burma med en rapport om dokumentation av människorättskränkningar.

The work aims to to increase the capacity of Burmese civil society to promote greater respect for human rights in the country and thereby help reduce the risk of discrimination and violence. The work also aims to create conditions for democratic development.

Why is the project relevant? For decades, Burma has been a divided country with multiple ongoing armed conflicts. The vulnerability of the Rohingya people has, in particular, hindered positive developments in the field of human rights. In recent years, the situation has deteriorated, especially following the military junta’s coup attempt on 1 February 2021. Since the military coup, the junta has carried out systematic abuses against the civilian population in an effort to suppress resistance to the military takeover. It is therefore crucial to continue supporting civil society’s ability to operate and to strengthen its capacity in relation to human rights.

Three important contributions:

  1. To contribute to reducing violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ+ persons through information campaigns, documentation and training initiatives. A particular focus is placed on LGBTIQ+ persons’ right to and opportunities for livelihoods.
  2. To contribute to enabling local civil society actors working to document human rights violations to carry out their work and, in doing so, to make legitimate demands for accountability and redress for conflict victims.
  3. To contribute to highlighting the specific rights and vulnerabilities of women and ethnic groups, as well as demonstrating that civil society—including human rights organisations—has a legitimate and protected right to scrutinise and draw attention to human rights violations without the risk of threats or violence.