"Women in Burma continued to suffer discrimination and violence throughout 2008, despite representatives of the ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) arguing otherwise. The SPDC states that women in Burma enjoy full rights from the moment they are born and often point to the relatively autonomous role they claim women in Burma have traditionally enjoyed in any discussions on the rights of women. However, traditional patriarchal notions about women?s proper role in society have helped foster a climate that effectively obstructs any advancement towards women?s rights and gender equality. Women?s abilities are seen as limited, and their activities therefore curtailed. In addition, recent history has all but destroyed the collective capacity of Burmese women to attain real equality...Women rarely receive equal pay for equal work and are severely underrepresented in the civil service and in other decision-making positions.5 Significantly, since the military coup in 1962 women have been barred from any positions with real political power as these jobs are reserved for the military, which women are all but banned from. Domestic laws regarding specific crimes often committed against women, such as domestic violence and sexual violence, are sorely lacking: there is no law to address domestic violence and only some sections of the Penal Code dating from 1860 and not changed since, deal with sexual and gender based violence.6 Recent anti-trafficking laws have been widely criticised for restricting women?s freedom of movement, as women under 25 have been prohibited from travelling to neighbouring countries, leaving many vulnerable to relying on traffickers to cross the borders...A most troubling aspect of women?s rights In Burma has been the continuing reports of widespread gender-specific sexual violence and abuse committed by military forces in the border areas. A significant number of rape cases have been documented since 2002. Their systemic nature has led to concerns of specific targeting of some ethnic and religious groups. However, the junta denies this, and the practices continue with the ostensible sanction of those higher up the command chain..."