By Yoon Sat - Mar 27, 2025
Workers at the Sakyar Min Traditional Medicine Factory in Zaykabar Industrial Zone, Mingaladon Township, Yangon’s said the facility was inspected by relevant police officers and officials.
The inspection took place on March 26, reportedly in response to news that female workers were individually checked for menstrual products after a used item was found in a factory trash bin.
“The police came for inspection. The local station head and police officers came. But the factory lied, saying, ‘Would we do something like this? Would our factory do this?’ They tried to brush it off. The police didn’t interrogate right away but sat them down and talked for a long time. Before the police arrived, the factory gathered workers, instructed them what to say, and told them to deny the facts in the news. Only the workers selected by the factory manager were questioned, and the questioning happened in front of the manager. The police questioned and interrogated each person individually—three workers who were menstruating, but only two came in, as one refused to return,” a worker said.
On the afternoon of March 24, the factory manager reportedly ordered two female staff, the manager and a supervisor, to inspect all female workers individually after discovering used menstrual products in a trash bin.
The incident has sparked public outrage online, with many condemning the act as a violation of Myanmar’s laws, a sexual offense, and a show of blatant disrespect toward women. Following heavy criticism, the factory's social media page was taken down. Workers also reported that an emergency meeting was held at the factory.
The Mingaladon Township police, including the station chief and officers, entered the factory for inspection [n the afternoon of March 26. Two women workers stated that they were questioned not in public but in a private room, while another said she refused to answer the phone call from the factory.
“Being interrogated or examined in public is shameful for women of any age. Even being asked about menstruation verbally is already intrusive. Is a woman’s period a strange thing? Should anyone be examined for this whether in public, under CCTV, or in a private room? Is discarding it a problem. They should have provided trash bins in the women’s toilets of it’s about discipline. This case is degrading for Myanmar women—it’s harassment, its sexual misconduct,” said a female labor leader.
Workers said the factory crossed personal boundaries by inspecting menstrual product use. Since those inspections by the factory were done in CCTV-monitored areas, some female workers have called for accountability from the authorities.
Sakyar Min Factory, which produces traditional medicines like traditional Cervical Spondylosis drugs, energy boosters, and muscle treatments, employs around 40 workers. Currently, workers said they have been instructed not to wear the factory uniform and to respond they don’t know to any inquiries about the factory.
