Resource information
Burma is situated in Southeastern Asia, bordering Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand. The
majority of its population lives in rural areas and depends on land as a primary means of livelihood.
Because all land in Burma ultimately belongs to the state, citizens and organizations depend upon use
-
rights, but do not own land.
Burma’s laws grant women equal rights i
n some respects and also recognize certain customary laws that
provide women equal rights in relation to land. In practice, however, the rights of many women are
governed by customs that do not afford them equal access to or control over land.
Forcible and
uncompensated land confiscation is a source of conflict and abuse in Burma, and protests
and fear of “land grabs” have escalated as the state opens its markets to foreign investors and pursues
policies to dramatically increase industrial agricultural prod
uction.
Burma has rich water, forest and mineral resources. However, a rapid expansion of resource extraction
efforts in the past three decades has led to widespread land and water pollution, deforestation,
community protests and forced relocation.
