Myanmar’s military regime has widened restrictions on sanitary pads and other hygiene supplies in conflict‑hit regions, claiming they are being misused by opposition fighters. Aid groups say the move is depriving women and girls of essential items, compounding hardship in a country already battered by economic crisis since the 2021 coup.

Local officials told humanitarian organisations that pads were being confiscated because rebels use them for first aid or to line boots. “The military says menstrual products are used by the People’s Defence Force for medical reasons and to absorb sweat and blood,” explained Thinzar Shunlei Yi of the women’s rights group Sisters2Sisters.

The ban, which began last August in parts of Sagaing and Mandalay, has not been formally announced but is enforced at checkpoints. Reports suggest medicine, bandages and disinfectant are also restricted.

Medical experts dismiss the military’s justification. “A sanitary pad wouldn’t treat gunshot wounds or lacerations,” said Meredith Bunn, founder of the aid charity Skills for Humanity, who condemned the ban as “completely uneducated, misogynistic”. She warned that denying access to menstrual products risks infections and urinary tract problems, especially where water for reusable pads is scarce.

Henriette Ceyrac, who runs the period education organisation Pan Ka Lay, believes the policy is deliberate. “It makes sense that the military wants to restrict women’s movement even more. It’s basically gender‑based violence,” she said.

Activists argue the ban is not only punitive but tactical, aimed at female fighters and communities suspected of supporting the resistance. For women in conflict zones, the consequences are immediate: without pads or safe washing facilities, basic health and dignity are undermined.

The restrictions highlight how Myanmar’s junta is weaponising everyday necessities in its war against opponents, turning menstrual products into a frontline issue of rights and survival.

-2026-04-21

Yet another piece of craziness from this regime. Shame on them.

6 hours ago, Watawattana said:

Yet another piece of craziness from this regime. Shame on them.

It's not crazy. It's intentional cruelty. It should be classed as a crime against humanity.