(XIII) ABUSE OF WOMEN
13.1. Background
Burmese women have never had equal rights with men. Society and tradition in Burma tend to denigrate the role of women, as is also the case throughout much of the world. Under these circumstances, women in Burma have become one of the most vulnerable victims of abuse by SLORC. In Burma, women are treated equally to their fellow Burmese men. They too are subjected to summary execution, torture, arbitrary arrest, forced labour, forced portering, denial to participate in the political process, religious persecution and forced relocation. In addition, the women in Burma receive unique treatment from SLORC such as rape during military offensives, rape during portering and trafficking into prosecution.
In addition to their natural vulnerability, women face continual harassment if their husbands are suspected by SLORC. They are subjected to work the same forced labour as men, especially since it is the men who often run away from SLORC, leaving behind only women (even women who are pregnant or have children to care for) to face the soldiers’ guns. All this in addition to the army’s sexual violence.
Villagers have reported that when women come back from SLORC huts, “the married women openly tell if they’ve been raped, but the unmarried ones don’t say anything. They don’t dare, because they’re too shy to reveal it. But we know they’ve been raped.” In traditional Burmese society, a woman who has been raped is not desired by men for marriage. Rape and prostitution is not a common feature of Burmese society. The level of violence against women has dramatically increased since SLORC took charge, and rape seems to be encouraged and institutionalised by the military to keep control over the countryside and keep the low-paid, under-fed troops from getting restless and turning against their leaders.
Furthermore, women are now sometimes forced to marry soldiers, either by order of the commanders, or to hide a pregnancy that they got from being raped by the soldiers without their consent. The needs and wishes of the women are given no value by the military.
Although men are taken most frequently, children and women, including those who are pregnant or nursing their infants are arbitrarily seized. When SLORC troops enter a village, especially in liberated or conflict areas, they often find that all of the men have fled, either through fear of abuse or conscription, leaving the women with their children. Women have been sized much more frequently to act as porters and are subjected to the same human rights violations as men. However, in addition to beating and poor condition, women are risk of rape by troops during their detention as porters. SLORC soldiers then rape the women and/or conscript them to carry ammunitions and supplies to the front-line, serving as human mine detectors and shields for the troops. Sexual abuse continue during the time of forced porting of the women. Women are forced to carry ammunitions and supplies in the day time and late at night, no time are give to them to take rest, but gang-raped. Women become to face all difficulties and for the unpaid labour while the breadwinner run the unjust orders but the military.
Woman in Burma also bear the brunt of SLORC’s policies of forced relocation, where families are expelled from their homes to satellite towns which lack electricity, clean water, and access to transportation. Being the primary caretakers of families, women face great difficulties meeting the most basic needs of the household.
The number of HIV infected women has rapidly increased inside Burma recently. Without the special care or AIDS education programme for the women in Burma, the number of HIV infected women in Burma has significantly increased. The social, economic, education and political setback plaguing the country for so many years has left many Burmese girls and women with little choice but to enter the sex industry in Burma, Thailand or other neighbouring countries for their survival where they are subjected to constant humiliation and ill-treatment. They are lured or forced to work in the commercial sex industry in the foreign countries without any knowledge of health education. When their debt bondage period is over or repatriated back to Burma, most of them are infected with AIDS as they do not have the awareness for the deadly disease. Most of them returned back to the former occupation for the lack of education or rehabilitation programmes organised by the ruling regime. This become the only one alternative for them to survive for their future by working as sex worker. They has become the main source for the spread of HIV disease. The lack of power to say not have sex without condom to their partners or husbands is an another obstacle.
13.2. Repeated Gun-Point Rape by Soldier in City
At 8:00 p.m. on 20 December 1994, Capt Aung Zeya from Da-Ka-Sa (Regional Military Controlled Command) arrived at U Thu Reh and Daw Khaw Mo’s house, located at Nar Nat Taw Quarter in Loikaw Township, to check the household registration list. As soon as he entered the house, he pulled out his pistol and raped their daughter, Ma Kye Myar, at gun point.
A court hearing on that case was scheduled on 30 March 1995. One day before the hearing, Capt Aung Zeya threatened the victim at gun point and forced her to close the case without giving any compensation.
Another victim, Ma Dah Mae, daughter of U Nyeh Reh and Daw Thoe Myar, was also threatened to close the rape case after being forced by Capt Aung Zeya to accept 2,000 Ks as compensation at Ba Wa Thit (New Life) tea-shop at Nyaung Yar (A) Quarter.
Regarding those rape cases, an innocent villager, Maung Bel Ni, who was living at Htay Ta Ma Quarter in Loikaw, was used as a scapegoat by the perpetrator and sentenced to three years' imprisonment. There have already been 24 victims from Loikaw downtown and nearby villages raped by Capt Aung Zeya at gun point. [Source: NLD-LA]
13.3. Soldiers Rape at Will in Countryside
In Chin State, there were already two rape cases at the beginning of 1995. In Haka, while a young girl, 12 years old, was cutting firewood with her mother on the outskirts of the Haka town, a group of SLORC soldiers raped both of them. The young girl died at the hospital from internal bleeding. The mother could not identify the rapists because she was blindfolded. The SLORC authorities did not pursue the case because the mother could not identify the rapists.
In Matupi, a female porter was raped by SLORC soldiers. When the girl reported to the SLORC authorities, she was given 5,000 Ks and was asked to keep quiet. [Source: Vum Son]
13.4. Institutionalised Rape and Slavery by Military
In Kyauktaw and Mrauk U townships in Arakan State, young girls were forced to winnow the rice, to pick vegetables for SLORC battalions — LIBs 374, 375 and 376 — and to work in the army camps until nightfall. The girls were not only treated very rudely but also subjected to rape by SLORC troops and forced to shut their mouths by a threat of torture. They dared not reveal their plights or complain to any village head or high-ranking officer as all the tribunals were under the control of the military and the officers were using young girls for their sexual pleasure. [Source: ASC]
[See also under “Personal Accounts”, interview 14, 24, 28, 32-33, 36, 43-44, 46, 49, 51-52, 64, 71-76, 83, 85-86, 89-90, 93, 106-107, 109, 111, 113-114, 117, 120, 138, 149, 152, -154, 190, 192-194, 196, 201-203, 208-209, 221-222, 227-228, 230, 233, 239, 240, 254, 255, 260-261, 264, 266, 268, 270-277, 280, 283, 288-293, 295-297, 299, 301, 307-308]
13.1.5. List of Incidents
13.5.1. Since the beginning of 1995, SLORC troops have been reinforced in the area of Tha Pyay Chaung village and Zalun village in Tavoy Township, Tenasserim Division, to provide security for the gas pipe line being built there. LIB 267 and LIB 269 were recently deployed there as reinforcements for the previously deployed LIBs 401 and 402 and No. 957 Battlefield Engineering Corps. The presence of numerous SLORC troops and increased movements of military columns have created problems for local people. Many women in the area who used to earn their living by working in the rubber plantations have been subjected to rape or sexual harassment at their work sites by SLORC troops. Women who were raped by the SLORC soldiers appealed to the Village LORC officials. But they turned a blind eye, leaving many women no longer to dare to work in the rubber plantations. [Source: KHRG/KNU]
13.5.2. On 29 February 1995, five soldiers from SLORC LIB 525 patrolling along the bank of Nam Yoom near Worn Tsa-larng, Worn Hart village-tract in Langhko Township, southern Shan State, saw an old lady Nai Sing (61) taking a bath. They captured her and gang-raped her until she lost consciousness. [Source: S.H.A.N]
13.5.3. During the last week of April 1995, SLORC troops from IB 67 arrived at Koon Morng village, Mong Tom village-tract, Tanyan Township in northern Shan State and demanded a bullock cart. They forced Nang Khong (28, wife of Sai We, 30, and daughter of Loong Sarng Lern and Pa Say) to drive the cart for them.
They then forced Nang Yurng, (17, daughter of Khing Ywe Long and Pa Hurng) to accompany Nang Khong on the way. On arrival at the forest, a mile from Koon Morng, they savagely dragged the women away to different directions. Nang Yurng was dragged to Peing Nam Hurn, between Na-Kor and Koong Mong, while Nang Khong was dragged to Surn Neu, which is located to the west of Pha-Laii. Each girl was raped by at least nine to ten soldiers before they were released, leading their sarongs soaked in blood. [Source: S.H.A.N]
13.5.4. Around midnight on 18 April 1995, about 30 SLORC troops led by Maj Lha Kyoo of LIB 248 from Mong Nai arrived at Nar Lin village and searched all the houses. Since all the men had left, they arrested Nang Tar Moi, wife of Sai Long, to sleep with their captain. [Source: S.H.A.N]
13.5.5. On 26 May 1995, a group of SLORC soldiers from Mong Yai-based IB 67 came into Kor Leng village, Mongtuan village-tract, Tanyan Township in northern Shan State, and raped Pa Li, aged 40. [Source: S.H.A.N]
13.5.6. On 10 July 1995, Capt Thein Myint, Coy Comdr of SLORC IB 97, went into Thein P’Lein village, Kawkareik District and ordered a village elder, Daw Ah Yaing, to get him porters. Daw Ah Yaing pleaded that she could not get the required porters as all the villagers were away on their respective farms. Capt Thein Myint accused Daw Ah Yaing of being very stubborn. He and Sgt Htoo Bweh beat the victim with sticks, hit her with rifle butt, and kicked her with their boots. Daw Ah Yaing had her nose broken by the soldiers, and then she lost consciousness. The beatings were so severe that her three-month-old pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. [Source: KNU]
13.5.7. At about 3:00 p.m. on 21 October 1995, Ma Thuzar Myint, a primary school teacher from Kaleinaung village in Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division, was raped by 2nd Lt. Aunt Maung of SLORC LIB 409 when she came back from school. [Source: KNU]
13.5.8. On 23 October 1995, Warrant Officer Maung Gyi from IB 103 issued an order to local SLORC Chairman at Kyauk Taung Talai Tike village in Palaw Township, Tenasserim Division, asking him to send Ma San (35, married to Ko Win Kyaw with 3 children), who was in pregnant, to Tha Ya Bwin village in urgent as he needed to interrogate her. When Ma San arrived, she was forced to enter a house in the village and was subjected to rape. The following day, when that case became widespread throughout the entire village, Maung Gyi came to Ma San at night, accusing her of disseminating misinformation and beat her several times. Because of the rape and beatings, the victim collapsed and was hospitalised in Mergui hospital. [Source: ABSDF]
o0o
I. Extra-judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions
II. Arbitrary Detention and Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances III. Rights of Child
IV. Forced Labour and Slavery V. Forced Relocation and Internally Displaced Persons
VI. Deprivation of Livelihood VII. Minority Protection
VIII. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, Degrading Treatment or Punishment
IX. Freedom of Belief: Discrimination Against the Right to Practice Religion and Intolerance
X.
Freedom of Opinion and Expression XI.
Freedom of Assembly and Association XII.
Freedom of Movement
XIII.
Abuse of Women XIV.
The Refugees Situation and Forced Repatriation