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Print:In this Interview, Naw H--- describes how she was repeatedly raped and physically abused by her employer, Hpa Tee Ng’Htun. At the time, she was working as a maid in the perpetrator’s house, while his wife was away taking care of her sick child.
- After he raped Naw H--- the first time, Hpa Tee Ng’Htun threatened to kill her if she spoke about this incident. He did not allow her to go back home and continued to rape her repeatedly. Naw H--- became pregnant.
- In May 2018, Naw H--- gave birth to the child that was conceived due to the repeated rapes. In September 2018, the case was taken to the village head and the village tract leader of Beh Khoh Hpaw Plaw and Tanintharyi Township leaders. Finally, the Myanmar government in Tanintharyi Township handled the case. Hpa Tee Ng’Htun was ordered to give 4,500,000 kyats (US $2,888.97) to the victim for compensation.[1] Once the child turns 5 years old, the perpetrator will have to give a further 1,000,000 (US $641.99) kyats as support in every year until the child turns 18.
Interview | Naw H---, (female), M--- village, Tanintharyi Township, Mergui-Tavoy District (February 2018)
The following Interview was conducted by a community member trained by KHRG to monitor local human rights conditions. It was conducted in Mergui-Tavoy District on February 16th 2018 and is presented below translated exactly as it was received, save for minor edits for clarity and security.[2] This interview was received along with other information from Mergui-Tavoy District, including eight other interviews and 81 photographs.[3]
Ethnicity: Karen
Religion: Christian
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Maid
Position: Civilian
What is your name?
My name is Naw H---.
How old are you?
I am 23 years old.
What is your ethnicity and your religion?
I am Karen, Christian.
Where do you live?
I live in B--- village, Tanintharyi Township, Mergui-Tavoy District.
What is your occupation?
I work on a plantation.
What is the name of the man who raped you?
Hpa Tee [uncle] Ng’Htun.
How old is he?
He is probably between 40 to 50 years old.
What is the ethnicity of Hpa Tee Ng’Htun?
He is Karen.
What is his religion?
He is a Catholic Christian.
Where does that man live?
He lives in M--- village, K’Tah Kloh village tract, Tanintharyi Township.
Is he married or single?
He is married, he has a family.
Where did that man rape you the first time?
He raped me in his house.
When did he rape you?
He raped me during the rainy season [between May to October], in 2017.
Was that man’s wife at home when he raped you?
No, his wife was in Mergui-Tavoy town because she was taking care of her sick child.
How did you come to work for him?
In the summer, his wife hired me to stay with her at home [to help with the housework].
Did the perpetrator take any steps to remedy the situation on you?
When my health is getting poor and when I felt sick after he raped me [several times], he threw money down in front of me.
Did you report or ask for help from anyone regarding this case?
I verbally reported this case to Saw Hpoh Kwa, the local village secretary.
Has this case been solved?
No, this case has not been solved yet.
What challenges have you faced after you experienced this horrible incident?
I feel insecure and afraid.
Did [the perpetrator] threaten you in any way?
He threatened to kill me.
Why did he want to kill you?
He wanted to kill me so that he would keep his shameful act a secret, so that I would not reveal what he did to me.
Would you like to share how you felt after this incident?
I have social anxiety and I am afraid because I was mocked by my neighbours and threatened by the perpetrator.
Would you like to share more information about this case?
[Silent…]
This lady was raped by a man [several times]. She is now pregnant but the perpetrator does not take responsibility for this situation. Instead, he threatened this lady. Therefore, this lady feels shy and afraid. In this case, the authorities should take action as soon as possible so that there will be fewer cases of rape and sexual violence in the K’Tah Kloh area.
Could you tell me why you did not go back home after he raped you the first time?
I could not go back because he threatened me. He did not allow me to go back. When he attempted to rape me, he pushed me and told me that “when you go to court and people ask you or talk to you about putting me in jail, just say that I will compensate you with money.”
Thank you so much for sharing this information.
This photo shows Naw H---, who was raped multiple times by her employer, Hpa Tee Ng’Htun in M--- village, K’Tah Kloh village tract, Tanintharyi Township. Naw H--- gave birth to a baby as a result of these repeated rapes. [Photo: KHRG]
Footnotes:
[1] All conversion estimates for the kyat in this report are based on the October 2018 official market rate of 1557.65kyats to US $1.
[2] KHRG trains community members in southeastern Burma/Myanmar to document individual human rights abuses using a standardised reporting format; conduct interviews with other villagers; and write general updates on the situation in areas with which they are familiar. When conducting interviews, community members are trained to use loose question guidelines, but also to encourage interviewees to speak freely about recent events, raise issues that they consider to be important and share their opinions or perspectives on abuse and other local dynamics.
[3] In order to increase the transparency of KHRG methodology and more directly communicate the experiences and perspectives of villagers in southeastern Burma/Myanmar, KHRG aims to make all field information received available on the KHRG website once it has been processed and translated, subject only to security considerations. For additional reports categorised by Type, Issue, Location and Year, please see the Related Readings component following each report on KHRG’s website.
