Type of Incident

Sexual violence against a child

Date of Incident(s)

November 24th or 25th 2020

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

K--- village, M--- village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District

Victim Information

Name

Naw[3] B---

Age

8

Sex

Female

Nationality

Karen

Family   

Single

Occupation

Schoolchild

Religion

Buddhist

Position

-

Village

K---

Perpetrator Information (Civilians)

Name(s)           

Occupation

Village

Saw[4] H---

Farmer

K--- village, M--- village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

A villager phoned [a KHRG researcher] and informed him about this case. [This KHRG researcher] contacted me [another KHRG researcher] and reported it to me. On December 19th 2020, I went to K--- village to interview the village head and the family of the survivor.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

The village head was involved in handling the case. The other sources are relatives of the survivor.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

This incident happened on November 24th or 25th 2020 in K--- village, M--- village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township [this area is controlled by the Karen National Union].[5] The victim is Naw B---, an eight-year-old girl. The perpetrator is Saw H---. He came to live in the village during the rainy season 2020 [June to October]. At the time of the incident, he was living with the survivor’s family and working on farms with them.

On November 24th 2020, Naw B---’s parents went to a funeral in W--- village. They left their four young children home alone. Her father told KHRG: “Saw H--- followed us. He didn’t stay with us. He went back [to K--- village] just a moment after we arrived at the village [W--- village]. My wife and I came back at midnight. We arrived at our home at 2 am [on November 25th 2020].”

When the parents reached home, they found Naw B--- crying. Saw H--- was sleeping in the house. Confronted with this strange situation, the father asked Saw H---: “Why is the kid crying? Did you do anything to her?” Saw H--- responded that he did not do anything. The father then asked his daughter about what had happened. His daughter responded: “I am afraid of this person [Saw H---].” Her father asked Naw B--- what he had done to her. According to him, she replied: “He had sex with me!” [it is unclear what exact words the survivor originally used to describe her ordeal]. The survivor’s father added: “She would cry in fear whenever she saw him.”

Immediately, his wife checked her daughter’s genitalia and found semen inside. The buttocks of the survivor were also wet, and she had sustained genital injuries. Later that morning, Naw B--- told her parents that her abdomen and lower back were hurting, and that she felt pain while urinating.

The survivor’s father reported the case to the village leaders on the afternoon of November 25th 2020. Saw H--- went into hiding, but was eventually arrested by the village authorities on the evening of November 30th 2020. They took him to the village tract leaders, but he escaped on November 31st 2020 at around 11 pm. He was still on the run as of January 11th 2021. The K--- village head said that he could not be found and that there was no information about his whereabouts.

The village head added that he has afraid of Saw H--- because, before his escape, Saw H--- told him: “You are the village head. If you do something wrong, it will impact you [the original formulation in Karen makes it clear that this is a threat].” Since Saw H--- could not be found, the village head is worried that the perpetrator might retaliate against him, the survivor, her family or other villagers. The survivor’s family also has the same fear.

Her father took Naw B--- to the Myanmar government Kyeikdon hospital a week after the incident. The doctor in the hospital checked her genital injuries, prescribed her medication for five days and set up another appointment. However, the doctor did not provide any further information about her condition to the parents. She did not benefit from counselling services to recover from the trauma of the incident.

According to a discussion between the parents of the survivor and a KHRG researcher on December 19th 2020, the survivor still suffers from the psychological and physical effects of the rape. Her behaviour has changed and she still complains about abdominal pain. Her skin has turned pale since the incident and she usually does not want to talk to or answer questions from her parents. When she does answer, her responses are incoherent. She lives in fear and is afraid to walk around the village.

The local village tract security guards are looking for Saw H---, but they could not find him yet. Naw B---’s father said that he wants the local authorities to capture the perpetrator and to take action regarding this child rape case. He also wants the leaders to find a way to help her daughter access appropriate physical and mental healthcare services.

[This case was not reported to the Karen National Police Force.[6] The family of the survivor and the local authorities are now receiving assistance from a KHRG researcher in order to report this case to the Karen National Union[7] District authorities.]

Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided.

The family of the survivor and the village head allowed KHRG to use this information