Phyu said the focus early on was to empower young women. Before the November 2015 general elections, which resulted in the election of
, only 4.6 percent of seats in parliament were held by women and women were absent from senior decision-making roles at all levels of governance, she said.“We chose to build up a research base, to listen to our young women leaders, to support opportunities for training and connecting, gaining strength together,” Phyu said. “Slowly we felt a turn in the tide, and we saw small steps towards progress.
The bill has been stalled since January 2020. The dictatorship now prevents it from moving forward, leaving women vulnerable to state-sponsored violence.“We bang on pots and pans every night to denounce the military coup. We were not afraid when we stepped towards pointed guns and stood between security forces and frontline protesters,” said Phyu. She adds that the demonstrations will continue because they have to.
“If the military is going to control the country, it is going to be a nightmare for all the work we have been doing. We have to win this time.”