Reproductive Health

Female reproductive health concerns are treated with the same apathy as all health conditions, posing a range of problems.

Menstruation

Kaithy Aye describes how women suffer during menstruation because the prison authorities do not provide any kind of sanitary napkin to the women prisoners.

“- There was no alternative underwear to wear while my only panty was washed and wet. I used to face many problems during my period. I had no sanitary napkins, extra panties or even a piece of cloth to use for a pad. - “
(See appendix-6)

Hla Hla Htwe states:

“-In prison, when we were menstruating, we had to count on our family for the proper materials. There was nothing for us in prison. Even though we informed the wardens of our strain in these times, we were only given one prison sarong each.-”
(See appendix-5)

In some prisons, women political prisoners are prohibited from obtaining sanitary napkins.

Aye Aye Thin describes her experience in Bassein prison.

“- I was not allowed to get anything. Therefore, I had to deal with senior criminals. I asked them to order the materials I wanted, and I would give the money back later.-“
(See appendix-3)

Than Kywel describes her experience in Pegu prison.

“- When I was arrested, I asked the MI to carry my personal belongings, like a blanket and extra clothes. They said they would take me to ask some questions and it would take only a short time so I did not need them. When I was sent to prison, I faced the problems of the laws of nature. I was dehumanized in that place. -“
(See appendix-14)

Pregnancy and Childbirth

Pregnant upon arrest, women who give birth in prison find their lives and the lives of their newborn babies at risk. Authorities may refuse to send a skilled physician, leaving the woman to rely on other prisoners for assistance.

The experiences of Khin San Nwe and Yu Yu Hlaing show the difficulties pregnant women face in prison.

Khin San Nwe recalls her experience giving birth in prison:

“-I gave birth in prison on March 7, 1990. Unfortunately, I had birthing pains when my ward was closed. Doctor Soe Kyi, who was the prison doctor that time, did not come to see me and sent Ko Thein San, the medical officer of the prison, instead. It was so difficult for me to give birth that I asked for Dr. Toe Toe Tin and Dr. Aye Aye Cho of the NLD, who were in my ward also, to give me a hand. But they were not allowed to come to me. I had to give birth with only Ko Thein San, a female prisoner in charge of my ward, by the name of Daw Kyee Kan and a girl called Mi Lone. - “
(See appendix-8)

Khin San Nwe says that her life was at risk when she delivered her baby in prison.

“- I was not sent to the hospital, and I did not demand that. In fact, I did not know I had the right to demand to be taken to the hospital. Mi Lone pushed my belly extremely hard to give birth, which is why I am now barren. If I had given birth in any hospital outside of the prison, I would not have gotten this disease. I had to give birth to my baby with many difficulties. - “
(See appendix-8)

The prison authorities neglect the pregnant women in Insein prison of Rangoon, the capital of Burma, as well as those in prisons around Burma. Yuu Yuu Hlaing explains how the authorities ignored her when she gave birth to her baby in Mergui prison, located in Southern Burma.

“– (The prison authorities) didn't help at all. Only the prisoners helped me –“
(See appendix-19)

The absence of proper postnatal care leaves women with little resources with which to care for their babies.

Yuu Yuu Hlaing continues:

“- I was not given any cloth or clothes for my baby. It was very hard to clean my baby because there was not enough water for bathing and washing clothes. I was not allowed to use water. During bathing time, I had to wash clothes with bathwater only. -“
(See appendix-19)

“- We were entitled to four or three small cups of the water for having bath. It was not enough even to have a bath. I needed some more water for washing my child's nappy and clothes. I used bathwater for washing my child clothes. One day, I was abused badly by the jailer because I was washing my child's nappies in this water, which she used while she was having bath. So she stopped me from washing the clothes. -“
(See appendix-19)

Malnutrition causes problems after birth, such as an inability to breastfeed.

Yuu Yuu Hlaing states:

“- After delivering, I did not breastfeed my baby for three days. I tried to allow myself to breastfeed my child by drinking a lot of nutritious soup. I requested that I be allowed to cook soup for myself because we were not allowed to cook in the prison, but I was refused. I had only the soup provided by the jail. -”
(See appendix-19)