Myanmar troops gangraped Rohingya women, says UN
Dhaka, Nov. 12: Myanmar soldiers “systematically targeted” Rohingya women for gangrape during violence against the minority Muslim community which triggered an exodus to Bangladesh, an UN special envoy said on Sunday.
Pramila Patten, a special representative of the UN secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict, made the comments after visiting Bangladesh’s southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar where some 610,000 Rohingya have taken refuge in the last ten weeks.
Many of these atrocities “could be crimes against humanity”, she said.
“I heard horrific stories of rape and gang-rape, with many of the women and girls who died as a result of the rape,” Ms Patten told reporters in Dhaka.
“My observations point to a pattern of widespread atrocities, including sexual violence against Rohingya women and girls who have been systematically targeted on account of their ethnicity and religion.”
The sexual violence in Myanmar’s northern state of Rakhine was “commanded, orchestrated and perpetrated by the armed forces of Myanmar”, she said.
“The forms of sexual violence we consistently heard about from survivors include gang-rape by multiple soldiers, forced public nudity and humiliation and sexual slavery in military captivity.”
“One survivor described being held in captivity by the Myanmar armed forces for 45 days, during which time she was repeatedly raped. Others still bore visible scars, bruises and bite marks attesting to their ordeal,” Ms Patten added.