Burmese army gang rapes Christian woman

An ethnic Kachin, Christian woman was gang raped by the Burmese army at a church in Kachin State, northern Burma, where the war between the government and Kachin rebels is still active.

The 48-year-old Ngwa Mi (not the victim's real name) was caught at the church at Luk Pi village in Chipwi Township by about ten government soldiers. The soldiers beat her with rifle butts, stabbed her with knives, stripped her naked and gang-raped her over a period of three days in the church.

The incident, which took place on May 1, 2012, was of the most serious rape cases that occurred during the hostilities that broke out since June, 2011, and continue to the present day.

A women rights group, Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) condemned the rape case and said that the gang-rape and torture of this victim reveals the ongoing impunity for sexual violence enjoyed by the Burma government army.

Ngwa Mi, a grandmother with 12 children, has been reunited with her family, but has now become mentally unstable, according to the KWAT.

The gang-rape was witnessed by another villager, Yu Ta Gwi, aged 59, who was arrested while caring for his paralyzed wife. He was tied up in the church compound and kicked and stabbed by the government army. He and Ngwa Mi were found semi-conscious on May 4 by a group of Kachin villagers and were taken to a hospital in Pangwa Township.

Mary Laban, a spokesperson of the KWAT, said, “64 women and girls have been raped. Half of the victims were killed after they were raped. They [government troops] committed sexual violence against the Kachin women very systematically and very widespread. ”

These incidents were reported in conflict zones where her relief workers were able to access. Laban believes that there are many sexual assaults and human rights abuses that are never made public. Some victims don't dare to talk about the case because of fear and some even have no chance to make complaints, said Mary.

Burmese womens' rights groups also said that even through Burma has opened up, the majority of ethnic Burmese who rule the multi-ethnic country are still poor in respecting differences in culture, religion, literature, identity and language. Ethnic minorities are often denied their fundamental rights, and religion is often targeted.

“About 66 churches have been burned down during the conflict since June, 2011,” said Mary.

The Kachin women's rights group also reported that it was gravely concerned about this latest incident of sexual violence, committed brazenly in the sanctuary of a church. The rights group also blamed the government and its judiciary system for dismissing charges against the army for the abduction and disappearance of another Kachin woman, Sumlut Roi Ja.

Sumlut Roi Ja was arrested by government army soldiers on October 28, 2011, while farming near her village Hkai Bang in Momauk township, close to the China border. Her husband and father-in-law witnessed her being forced at gunpoint to carry corn to the government military camp.

Even though Sumlut Roi Ja’s husband attempted to bring legal proceedings against the troops responsible, on 23 February, 2012, the Naypyidaw Supreme Court dismissed the case for lack of evidence.

“The message from the Naypyidaw Supreme Court is clear: the Burmese military can rape and kill ethnic women with impunity,” said Moon Nay Li, the coordinator of the KWAT.

From Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, thirty-one women's groups in Burma held a workshop on peace-building and conflict transformation in Rangoon, and they condemned the army for committing sexual violence against women in Kachin State, in violation of UN conventions to which Burma is a signatory.

They said the government has ignored not only the Geneva Convention governing the conduct of war, but also a treaty that forbids discrimination against women in any form.

Susanna Hla Hla Soe, the director of Rangoon-based Karen Women Empowerment Group, said that Burma signed the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1997, but still doesn’t implement it in practice.

“Kachin women representatives who attended the workshop expressed their sadness and concern about how women and girls are suffering from ill treatment. I was very sad to hear their terrible stories of sexual violence, such as gang rape against women and girls,” said Hla Hla Soe.

Burma’s former military regime signed the CEDAW in 1997, agreeing to reduce discrimination against women, and to stop rape and other forms of violence against women and form a way for women to file complaints if their rights are abused.

The war in northern Burma that broke out since June 2011 displaced thousands of Kachin civilians. Local relief groups also now face difficulties in feeding and sheltering more than 70,000 displaced people as it take too long and the hostilities haven't die down.