Myanmar is home to several minority ethnic groups seeking political, economic, cultural, and social recognition. In these pursuits, conflict has erupted and sustained for decades–as one of the world’s longest–manifesting in a variety of forms. Within these conflicts, the gendered impacts are multi-faceted and disproportionately tolling upon women and girls. As Myanmar heads to the polls again this year, violence could again re-emerge, keeping in mind that “Gender inequities exacerbate experiences of conflict, and responses that do not incorporate gender analysis exacerbate inequities”.
The talk will discuss intersections of gender and their positioning in conflict to understand how best to respond to the needs of vulnerable populations in Myanmar.
Presenters
Kassandra Neranjan is an intersectional feminist researcher, gender justice advocate, and a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) and Juris Doctor (JD) candidate at McGill University. Kassandra graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours BA in International Relations and Peace, Conflict and Justice Studies.
Sakshi Shetty is a recent graduate from the University of Toronto where she received an Honors BSc in Health & Disease, and Immunology. She is interested in global health, specifically in exploring the role of the various social determinants on health and wellbeing.
Dr. Alex Pelletier – Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) postdoctoral fellow at the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies – Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University, focuses on religious violence and ethnic conflicts in Southeast Asia.