Sat, 21 Sep 2019
Mergui-Tavoy Incident Report: Rape case in Lay Nya Bu Pyin Township, December 2017

A woman with an intellectual disability was raped by her biological brother in Lay Nya Bu Pyin Township, Mergui-Tavoy District in December 2017. She fell pregnant as a result of the rape and now has a one-year-old child. While village leaders are apprised of the incident, no action has been taken against the perpetrator. [1]

 

Part 1- Incident Details

Type of Incident Rape
Date of Incident (s) December 2017

Incident Location (Village, Township and District)

E--- village, Lay Nya Bu Pyin Township, Mergui-Tavoy District
Victim Information
Name Naw W---
Age 22
Sex Female
Ethnicity Karen
Family Single, one child
Village E ---
Perpetrator Information (Civilians) 
Name (s) Occupation Village
Saw M --- N/A E ---

 

Part 2 - Information Quality 

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.
A KHRG researcher visited the victim and interviewed her. 
2. Explain how the source verified this information. 
The source experienced this incident first hand.  

 

Part 3 - Complete Description for the Incident

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. 

Naw W---, a woman with an intellectual disability, was raped in December 2017 [exact date unknown] by her biological brother, Saw M---. The perpetrator fled to Bli [Myeik] town after raping the victim and is currently a KNU officer in the Lay Nya Bu Pyin special area office. The victim’s relatives reported the incident to the local women’s organisation; although they and village leaders are apprised of the case, no action has been taken against the perpetrator. As of September 2019, this incident had not been investigated by the authorities.

 

This rape happened when the victim was at home. She described the incident in detail: “When I was alone at home sitting and resting in a hammock, he came and asked me how I was doing. I told him that I was tired but then he came closer to me. At first, he asked me whether I accept him [his kiss] and I told him that I do not accept it. That is when he started to hold me tightly. I told him to let me go but he did not. Then, I got angry and bit his hand. When I bit his hand, I think it was painful for him so he grabbed and pressed on my breasts. He only let me go after he finished raping me.”

 

She eventually fell pregnant as a result of the rape and now has a one-year-old child: “At first, I did not know that I was pregnant even though I lost my appetite. When I went to town to check what was happening to me, a nurse tested my urine and said I was pregnant. That was how I found out I was pregnant. I went there in April [2018]. I cannot remember how long I stayed there. Actually, I had to stay in town after I found out that I was pregnant.”

 

The victim stated that she was raped on two other occasions in 2017, although she does not recall the exact dates: "He raped me twice in my house ad once when I came to G--- village [where another house of hers is located]." She is unaware of any action being taken to investigate these incidents. 

 

Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details

Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided. 
This victim gave KHRG permission to use this information. 
Sat, 21 Sep 2019

Footnotes: 

[1] The present document is based on information received in May 2019. It was provided by a community member in Mergui-Tavoy District who has been trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions on the ground. The names of the victims, their photos and the exact locations are censored for security reasons. The parts in square brackets are explanations added by KHRG staff. 

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