Women League of Burma (WLB) Holds Press Conference, Call for the Elimination of Sexual Violence against Women

February 25, 2014

The Burmese military has continually attempted to suppress any information of sexual crime and assault committed by its soldiers, and has worked to instilled fear in the people from reporting, or even talking about these crimes. The Women’s League of Burma (WLB) held a landmark press conference in Rangon, to raise awareness of the crimes of sexual violence systematically committed by the military.

Forty people from various Mon women organizations, media groups, and the Democracy and Peace Women Network attended the press conference held by WLB on February 23, 2014 in Rangon, at the Ah Taw Ka Chapel, Pa Ra Ya Ti Historical Instructional Building. At the press conference, the WLB released a statement regarding the sexual assault of Mi Cho, 43, by a military soldier.

On January 26^th 2014, Mi Cho, a 43 year-old mother of six, was assaulted and beaten by Second Corporal Ye Min Tun, from Artillery Battalion No. 315, which is based west of Wae Ka Lee village, Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State, according to Ye Min Tun’s identity card.

At 2:00am, Mi Cho was attacked by Ye Min Tun while she was collecting rubber liquid in a rubber plantation two plantations down from the one her husband was working on. The victim wrestled against her attacker for half an hour, which resulted in severe injuries to Mi Cho’s eyes and chest. The victim also lost her teeth and sustained a serious head injury.

Mi Cho was initially taken to Thanbyuzayat Hospital, and then transferred to Mawlamyine hospital. After receiving treatment at Mawlamine hospital for one week, her head injury got worse and Mi Cho was brought to the Rangon hospital on February 4th for further care.

Despite the horrendous details of this assault, Artillery Battalion No. 315 has not only refused to support the victim, but has intimidated the victim’s uneducated husband, Nai Lwin, to sign an order to conceal the case.

After the attack, Nai Lwin, along with the Mon Democracy Party (MDP), New Mon State Party (NMSP) from Moulamein District, members from Mon women’s groups, and three solicitors joined together at the Thanbyuzayat police station to charge Ye Min Tun with article No. 376/511 for attempted rape, and No. 325 for grievous hurt. While Mi Cho was at the Mawlamyine hospital, the police visited once to investigate, after MDP had called them numerous times. They have not visited since.

WLB claims the military has tried to suppress any news of the case, and condemns the military for its actions. WLB has vowed to follow and complete the victim’s desires, whatever it takes, and calls for the Burmese government to take responsibility in punishing the perpetrator of this brutal crime and to take action to eliminate any sexual violence against women.

Daw Tin Tin Nyo from WLB says, “The purpose of holding [the] press conference is to raise public and foreign [awareness] about this kind of sexual violence happening in Myanmar. We want to have justice upon the issue as by the law [sic]. By holding this press conference, we want to stop the military’s actions in trying to suppress news and intimidate victim[s] after [soldiers] commit crime. [The press conference] is kind of our protection to eliminate this sexual violence against women in Myanmar”.

WLB was founded in 1999, and is an umbrella organization consisting of 13 women’s organizations representing different ethnic groups from Burma. The organization’s aims are “to work for the empowerment and advancement of the status of women, to work for the rights of women and gender equality, to work for the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women, to work for the increased participation of women in every level of decision making in all spheres of society, to participate effectively in the movement for peace, democracy and national reconciliation”.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News