Myanmar military regime widens sanitary towel ban, claiming rebels use them for first aid

Activists say clamp down on period products to target insurgents is gender-based violence and violates rights

Myanmar's military regime is expanding its ban on the distribution of period products, claiming they are being used to treat wounded resistance fighters, according to local activists.

The south-east Asian country has been locked in civil war since 2021, when the military usurped the democratic government and launched a violent crackdown on dissidents. Artillery fire, the burning of townships and arbitrary arrests have become common in the years since then.