In the Rubble, We’re Still Fighting for Justice: The ILF on the Frontlines After Myanmar’s Earthquake

By Shikha Pandey, Senior Program Director, Asia  

It has been just over one month since the earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28, devastating the country. I am writing this from Mandalay—where the damage is most severe—and the ground is still shaking. Just days ago, we experienced another aftershock measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale.  At the same time, the entire country has been engulfed in conflict, with many clashes right at the peripheries of Mandalay. The hardest-hit by the earthquake approximately 1.6 million internally displaced people (IDPs) who have been forced to flee conflict over the past several years.

The city I once knew is unrecognizable, with collapsed buildings and lives. Most buildings are either leaning with severe damage or have collapsed entirely, and streets are still littered with debris. Our ILF team also lost their homes, some are living in hostels, and all are working to rebuild their lives.  

By some miracle, our ILF office is still standing, but the building next door is severely damaged and already abandoned. We fear that another aftershock could send it crashing down to destroy our office. During this period of crisis, the municipal authorities lack the resources to begin recovery. There’s no debris removal, no repairs, and no clear timeline for either.  Meanwhile, electricity is nearly non-existent—on most days, we’re lucky if we get 30 minutes of power. It’s stiflingly hot, touching forty degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), and with monsoon season on the way, the risk of further collapse and health crises is growing. 

Photos 1-4: Earthquake damage in Mandalay; Photos 5-6: The ILF Mandalay office exterior and interior

In the midst of this disaster, the work of fierce legal advocates is essential and urgent. That is why despite great personal challenges, the ILF team in Mandalay has taken immediate action, working tirelessly to protect the rights—and lives—of people in detention. Over the past month, they’ve traveled across Mandalay, visiting detention centers to evaluate conditions. They’ve spoken with every one of their existing clients, their clients’ families, and detention center staff to assess immediate needs—and what they’ve found is alarming.   

Many detention centers have suffered visible damage to walls, ceilings, and infrastructure. In some cases, people from heavily damaged detention facilities have been moved into less-impacted ones, creating dangerously overcrowded conditions. In one facility, more than 90 people are crammed into a space designed for 50—with only three toilets to share. It is not only people in detention but also all of their belongings queued up in rows, with their trunks, clothes, soaps and tattered but treasured soft toys. Fans are not working and the lack of power and overcrowding only contribute to the heat.  Some people in detention have already begun to develop skin infections due to damp, crowded conditions.   

In response, the ILF, as a trusted partner of local justice institutions, is coordinating with other humanitarian organizations on the delivery of essential supplies including solar lights, hygiene kits, electrolytes, medicinal ointments, phone bill top-ups for contacting families, water tanks, fans, clothing, and sanitary pads. So far, we have provided support to over 700 detained children—566 boys and 154 girls— who were impacted by the earthquake.  

Recognizing these dangerous conditions and the immediate risks to people in detention, our team has already started filing emergency motions for release starting with those who are most at risk in these conditions including children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people who are ill. And we’re not stopping there. Based on our experience responding to justice needs amidst disaster around the world, we are working to address other needs such as the loss of civil documentation and proper identification that for some populations, could result in arrest and denial of their fundamental rights. 

The ILF team planning, delivering supplies, and discussing case strategies.

I’ve worked alongside our Myanmar team through COVID-19, armed conflict, recurring power outages, Cyclone Mocha, and now a devastating earthquake—and each time, their unwavering commitment reaffirms that in times of crisis, legal aid is not just support; it’s a lifeline: showing up in the hardest-hit places, listening to people, advocating fiercely, addressing underlying needs, and making sure that even in disaster, the rights of the most marginalized are not forgotten.  

I could not be prouder of our team in Myanmar. They are living through the same devastation as everyone else—navigating collapsed buildings, working without electricity, and sleeping many nights outside on the streets under the threat of aftershocks. And yet, they continue to stand up for justice every single day.  

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