The project team of “Exploring Community Perceptions and Coping Strategies on Violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar” has published two Policy Briefs, on perceptions of violence and of nonviolent civilian protection in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
Policy Brief No. 1, “Perceptions of Everyday Violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar“, examines years of civilian-targeted violence that occurred in central and northern Rakhine. At its core, the Rakhine conflict is an asymmetric conflict involving the national military (Sit-Tat) and factions of several local ethnic insurgency groups, prominently the Arakan Army. Contestation to assert local control across Rakhine has exposed the population of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds to different facets of violence. This ranges from direct violence attributable to armed clashes to subversive forms of violence rooted in systemic discrimination and a culture of hostilities targeted at certain ethnic groups. Discussion with respondents reveals a population in distress, losing hope and feeling isolated.
Policy Brief No. 2, “Perceptions of Nonviolent Civilian Protection in Rakhine State, Myanmar“, presents the project team’s findings on local conceptions of nonviolent protection in Rakhine State. Participants’ responses suggest that locals primarily need to invest in their capital as individuals (e.g., wealth, ethnicity, social standing, knowledge, and others) to gain access to different self-protection strategies. Yet access to such capital is largely driven by ethno-religious privilege, which puts the ethnic minority groups at the struggling end. Alternatively, there are chances of local protection efforts being provided by other stakeholders such as sangha (Buddhist monks), prominent local figures (i.e., village elders and local administrators), and locally operating humanitarian groups, but such efforts are currently limited and are highly context-specific. The policy brief concludes with some key recommendations on how to better expand access to civilian personal capitals for all Rakhine ethnic communities and what sort of support unarmed third parties may need in order to better prepare their interventions.