English
ကညီကျိာ်
မြန်မာThis Incident Report describes events occurring in Kaw T’Ree (Kawkareik) Township, Dooplaya District, in April 2023. On April 23rd 2023, a man assaulted and attempted to rape a 19-year-old woman whilst she was asleep in her house at night. The man, a neighbour, came into her room while she was sleeping next to her baby. Her husband was not at home. The survivor reported the case to the [administrative] leader from Section 1, in Kyeikdon Town, but he refused to take action. She requested to transfer her case to the Karen National Union (KNU) judicial authorities but the Section leader refused and forced her to instead refer the case to the local Border Guard Force (BGF). The case remains unresolved. [1]
Part 1 – Incident Details
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Type of Incident |
Assault and attempted rape |
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Date of Incident(s) |
April 23rd 2023 |
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Incident Location (Village, Township and District) |
Kyeikdon Town (Section 1), Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District. |
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Victim Information |
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Name |
Ma[2] A--- |
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Age |
19 |
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Sex |
Female |
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Nationality |
Karen |
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Marital Status |
Married |
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Occupation |
- |
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Religion |
- |
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Position |
Villager |
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Village |
Kyeikdon Town (Section 1), Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District. |
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Perpetrator Information (Civilian) |
||
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Name(s) |
Occupation |
Village |
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Maung[3] B--- |
Unknown |
Kyeikdon Town (Section 1), Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District. |
Part 2 - Information Quality
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1. Explain in detail how you collected this information. |
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A KHRG field researcher interviewed the survivor and her mother. |
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2. Explain how the source verified this information. |
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The information was received from the survivor herself. |
Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident
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Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. For each incident, be sure to include 1) when the incident happened, 2) where it happened, 3) what happened, 4) how it happened, 5) who was involved, and 6) why it happened. Also describe any villager response(s) to the incident, the aftermath and the current living situation of the victims. Please use the space prepared below, and create an attachment if needed. |
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On the night of April 23rd 2023, Ma A---, a 19-year-old woman who lives in Section 1 in Kyeidon Town, Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District, and her seven-month-old baby were sleeping at home. Ma A---’s husband was not at home at the time. At around 1 am, Maung B---, her neighbour, came into her room with the intention to rape her. He opened the mosquito net where Ma A--- and her baby were sleeping and he gripped her tightly, grabbed her neck firmly and said that he would stab her to death if she tried to escape his grip. When Ma A--- managed to release herself from him, Maung B---’s hand pressed on the baby, making [him/her] cry loudly. Therefore, Maung B--- thought he may soon be discovered, so he ran away.
Since Ma A--- sleeps near her baby, she always leaves a candle light on when she goes to bed. As the room was brightly lit, it was easy for her to recognise her attacker’s face and identify him as Maung B---. Early the next morning, on April 24th 2023, Ma A--- went to the Section 1 leader’s[4] house and reported to him what had happened. After [informally] asking Maung B--- about the allegations, the Section leader refused to take action because Maung B--- denied he was guilty.
On May 2nd 2023, the Section leader called Ma A--- and her family members and told them to withdraw the case. Ma A--- did not want to, so she requested a permission letter from the Section leader to transfer the case to Karen National Union (KNU)[5] authorities [as her Township is outside of the KNU-controlled area and therefore beyond their judicial reach]. However, the Section leader did not provide her with the paper, wanting instead to refer the case to the local Border Guard Force (BGF)[6]. He threatened her, telling her [falsely; seeking to mislead her] that if she did not sign the referral letter to the BGF, she would lose the case. Therefore, she unwillingly signed and the documentation was sent to the BGF in May 2023. Since then [as of December 2023], the BGF has not acted on the information and the case remains unresolved. |
Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details
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Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided. |
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The survivor gave KHRG permission to use the information. |
Further background reading on the situation on sexual violence in Southeast Burma can be found in the following KHRG reports:
- “Dooplaya District Incident Report: A 60-year-old male villager raped two children in Kruh Tuh Township, April 2023.”, November 2023.
- “Mu Traw District Incident Report: An SAC sergeant sexually abused a 7-year-old child in an army camp, March 2023”, November 2023.”, November 2023.
- “Dooplaya District Incident Report: Rape and killing of two adolescent sisters in Waw Ray Township, April 2022”, January 2023
- “Suffering in silence? Sexual violence against women in Southeast Myanmar”, December 2018.
Footnotes:
[1] The present document is based on information received in April 2023. It was provided by a community member in Dooplaya 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.
[2] ‘Ma’ is a Burmese female honorific title used before a person’s name.
[3] ‘Maung’ is a Burmese male honorific title used before a person’s name.
[4] A Section leader’s role is similar to that of a village head’s but within a town administrative structure. Section leader is usually elected by villagers residing in that section.
[5] The Karen National Union (KNU) is the main Karen political organisation. It was established in 1947 and has been in conflict with the government since 1949. The KNU wields power across large areas of Southeast Burma and has been calling for the creation of a democratic federal system since 1976. Although it signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, relations with the government remain tense.
[6] Border Guard Force (BGF) battalions of the Tatmadaw were established in 2010, and they are composed mostly of soldiers from former non-state armed groups, such as older constellations of the DKBA, which have formalised ceasefire agreements with the Burma/Myanmar government and agreed to transform into battalions within the Tatmadaw.
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