Type of Incident

Sexual violence against two children [by a KNU/KNLA Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC)[2] soldier].

Date of Incident(s)

April 24th 2023 and September 9th 2023.

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

C--- village, Meh Theh village tract[3], Kruh Tuh Township, Dooplaya District.

Victim Information

Name

Naw[4] B---

Naw A---

Age

16 years old

16 years old

Gender

Woman

Woman

Ethnicity

Karen

Karen

Marital Status  

Married

Single

Occupation

[Daily labourer]

[Daily labourer]

Religion

Buddhism

Buddhism

Position

Villager

Villager

Village

C--- village, Meh Theh village tract

C--- village, Meh Theh village tract

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Saw[5] Thar Soe

Soldier

KNU/KNLA-PC Battalion #776

Lah Aee Ther village, Ghaw Hkee Htu village tract, Kruh Tuh Township, Dooplaya District.

Battalion Commander Zar Tin Mar

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

A staff member of the Karen Women’s Organisation (KWO) in Kruh Tuh Township informed [KHRG] about this incident. On October 24th 2023, [a KHRG researcher] conducted an interview with a KWO staff member. [The KHRG researcher] also spoke to Naw B--- [and Naw A---, while they were staying in a safe location arranged by KWO]. [In August 2024, the KHRG researcher conducted another interview with the same KWO staff member.]

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

This information was provided [and verified] by Naw B---, and the KWO staff member who supported the survivors after the incidents.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

 On September 9th 2023, at about 12 am, a KNU/KNLA-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC) soldier named Saw Thar Soe raped a 16-year-old girl called Naw B---.  Naw B--- reported [to KWO] that the perpetrator raped her at his home [on that day], despite her attempts to escape. [This girl went to the perpetrator's house to access internet connection.] As no one else was present at the incident site, there were no other witnesses.

Before Saw Thar Soe raped Naw B---, he had sexually assaulted [and attempted to rape] a friend of Naw B--- named Naw A---, on April 24th 2023, at around 11 pm [on a road in or near the village]. Although Saw Thar Soe was unable to rape Naw A---, he managed to forcibly kiss her and grab her breast. Since Naw A--- was terrified to report the incident, the case remained unreported [until September 13th 2023]. [However, after hearing that Naw B--- had been attacked by the same perpetrator, Naw A--- explained her experiences to Naw B---].

After Saw Thar Soe raped Naw B--- [and after getting to know that he had also attempted to rape Naw A---], Naw B--- did not want to give up on the case [and wanted to seek justice]. [On September 10th 2023, she] tried to report the case to KNU/KNLA-PC Battalion [#776] Commander, named Zar Tin Mar, but he was not present [at the place] that day. On September 13th 2023, both survivors reported the case to KWO who went to the Kruh Tuh Township police office [Karen National Police Force (KNPF)[6]] and [successfully] reported the case.

A local [KWO] staff member from D--- village, Htee Ghuh Thaw village tract, Kruh Tuh Township, named Naw E---, explained: “At first, the police [KNPF] went to arrest the perpetrator, Saw Thar Soe. However, his [KNU/KNLA-PC] Commander, Zar Tin Mar, said: ‘He is my soldier’, so the police [KNPF] returned [did not arrest him]. He [the KNU-KNLA-PC Commander] said that he [the perpetrator] was his member [under his command]. After that, we [KWO and the survivors] waited for further information, but he [Zar Tin Mar] did not say anything. He did not say anything, even when people [villagers] asked him [about the perpetrator]. Later, the perpetrator disappeared. When we tried to ask about him, we [eventually] heard that he had fled to Thailand.” KWO staff and the survivors’ families think that the Kruh Tuh Township [KNPF] police did not dare to arrest Saw Thar Soe because he is a KNU/KNLA-PC soldier [under the command of a different armed group, not under the Karen National Union (KNU)[7]]. Even though the case was documented [by the KNPF police], no further action was taken.

As Saw Thar Soe verbally threatened these two survivors [during the incidents] that he would kill them if they reported this case, these two girls were afraid to stay at their homes [after having reported the incidents to the police and given the fact that the perpetrator lived near them]. Therefore, KWO supported the survivors and arranged for them to be accommodated in a safer KWO house [location censored] for their security. 

Since the perpetrator has not been arrested, the survivors [and their families] are concerned about their safety. The KWO staff member wants local authorities to hold the perpetrator accountable. 

Update received on August 2024:

On August 6th 2024, KHRG was informed by a KWO staff member that the perpetrator fled to Thailand [on an unknown date], so the case could not be pursued further [by the KNPF police]. The survivors stayed at the KWO house for two to three months, before moving to their relatives’ village. A KWO staff member, Naw E---, personally provided food for the survivors, and she also requested that leaders [local leaders or organisations] provide some support for the survivors’ living expenses. The victims did not receive any formal support but were helped by the KWO staff member personally. Naw A--- has suffered from a mental illness [details unknown] since she was born. Both survivors are working as daily labourers to earn a living.

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

A member of KWO provided this information and gave permission to KHRG to use the information. [The researcher also spoke with the survivors and informed about the publication of this information.]