Displaced women in Dawthponeyan IDP camp in Kachin State are in need of sanitary napkins in addition to inadequate bathrooms and toilets due to armed clashes along the Myitkyina-Bhamo road, according to camp officials.
The IDPs have been housed in the courtyard of Kachin Baptist Church in Dawthponeyan for more than two months, and the displaced women need sanitary napkins, according to a camp official.
“We especially need bathrooms and toilets. Men and women are separated, but sometimes they have to use the same bathrooms because we don’t have enough of them. Also, the women here now need sanitary napkins,” he said.
The head of the camp said that displaced families have to crowd into a single building, which causes inconvenience for young women in their daily lives.
“Another problem is the lack of space. We can’t set up separate rooms for them. Some families have to live together. The young adults feel uncomfortable living near others’ family members. But in this situation, it is impossible for us to build housing for them,” he added.
In July this year, more than 100 families were displaced from four villages – Khalar, Nawngwant, Dainjang and Dainjar – as a result of armed clashes in the area, according to people helping the displaced.
The IDPs said they have been displaced for more than two months without any assistance and need food and medical care as they cannot go to work.
Among the displaced are six elderly people. As there are more than 60 women among the displaced, they are facing difficulties in their daily lives, IDP support workers said.
In addition, IDPs from Auhtanyang village are also staying in Newlant village, who also need food due to a lack of job opportunities, according to a woman from Auhtanyang.
“Before we fled the village, we sold vegetables. We earned our living by farming. Now that we have been fleeing for about two months, we have no income. Commodity prices have risen so high that some families can only eat rice porridge. We need food here more than anything else,” she said.
Before the armed conflict hit the area, locals worked in their agriculture in the highlands. After the Myanmar army shelled the area and fears of being arrested as human shields grew, they fled to IDP camps and live in poor conditions.
Fighting is still going on in Dawthponeyan, and every time the junta army sends more troops into the area, clashes break out along the road. As a result, displaced residents of Nwelant, Myothit, and Auhtanyang villages fear they may remain displaced for years.
In July, military council forces advanced by land and water with large number of troops to Namsamyan, – an area under the control of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) headquarters. The regime also transported military supplies to the area, which led to fighting breaking out along the Myitkyina-Bhamo road that has now lasted for three months.
Sent by KNG.