The digital spaces and technologies of women's peacebuilding in Myanmar: How features affect the participation and protection of women in Myanmar
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
16:15 – 18:00 (GMT+7)
Paper Abstract: Since 2000, when the introduction of UNSCR1325 on Women Peace and Security (WPS) called for women’s equal participation in the prevention and resolution of conflict, there have been repeated pledges for women’s inclusion and active involvement in peace processes. At the same time, the policy and practice of WPS faces the challenge of adapting to a substantive shift from ‘analogue’ to digital of peacebuilding and political deliberations, where conflict parties and stakeholders are increasingly using Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to communicate, shape information flows, and engage in knowledge making. Although ICTs have created new spaces for dialogue, allowing for almost constant engagement and direct communication between women’s groups and peacemakers, and significantly decrease the financial costs and physical risks of meetings, different features of technology platforms have varied implications for WPS pillars of the participation and protection of women. Drawing on the WPS and digital peacebuilding literatures, we theorise the implications of different features – such as accessibility, privacy, anonymity and the ability to edit – for the participation and protection of women. We test our argument in post-coup Myanmar; where internet blackouts, selective blocking of certain websites, and forcing internet service providers to increase data prices have all sustained the military regime. Empirically, we draw on 20 semi-structured interviews with female leaders and members of women’s rights organisations, and a workshop with 20 civil society and other domestic actors. The paper reveals important variation in the potential for the protection and participation of women in Myanmar across socio-economic-ethnic divides.