Burma News International has just released a Myanmar Peace Monitor report entitled “Conflict Related Violence Against Women in Myanmar” to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.
On 19 June 2015, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 19 June of each year the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, in order to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence, to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes.
Conflict Related Violence Against Women in Myanmar notes that women from every sector across the country have sacrificed their lives due to the military crackdown against demonstration after coup.
As they note in their report, on June 19 of this year in Myanmar the “Red Lips Speak Truth to Power” campaign took place as part of “Sister to Sister” Campaign. Such campaign, involving both male and female, has been widely known on social media.
The eradication of the conflict-related sexual violence relates to the direct or implied sexual violence against women, men, girls or boys during a conflict.
As the report notes, the violence perpetrated against women comes in various forms.
Sexual abuse or exploitation against women has reportedly existed during military crackdown over demonstration. Furthermore, a lot of female school-teachers, girls and children have sacrificed their lives during the peaceful strikes. Likewise, a great number of sexual violence against the arrested women have occurred during interrogation. It is widely seen that women across the country have encountered various forms of sexual violence during protests against military dictatorship.
“The women who had been improperly detained have faced verbal attack, sexual violence or severe beatings during interrogation. One pregnant lady has had a miscarriage after being beaten severely by security forces. Besides, the next complaint states that an improperly-arrested young woman was raped even in the interrogation room. The security forces forced the detained women to perform or dance,” claims Daw Ei Thinzar Maung in the report,
The Myanmar crisis will not be over in a short time, the report says. Although the awareness of sexual violence cases is heated on the social media and among the youths, the rate of violence against women in the war-affected regions and in the areas of violence crackdown is escalating and has never decreased.
