8/6/2019 Violence Against Rohingya Women: Oral Intervention by Anti-Slavery Internation

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UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Sixtieth session 15 th March 23 rd April 2004

Oral intervention delivered by Anti-Slavery International on 6 th April 2004

Item 12 Integration of the human rights of women and the gender perspective: (a) Violence against women

Mr. Chairman,

Anti-Slavery International would like to call the attention of the Commission to the situationof Rohingya women in Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar [Burma].

The root causes of the problems they faced lie with the policies of exclusion anddiscrimination carried out by the military regime against this Muslim population. The 1982Citizenship Law renders them stateless and their freedom of movement is severely restricted,as they need a permit to travel even to a neighbouring village.

In addition, conservative cultural and religious practices give Rohingya women a subordinate

status within their own community and their level of economic and political participation isalmost non-existent. The majority are illiterate and live in abject poverty.

Constant demands for forced labour on their male relatives and extortion by the authoritiesput a heavy toll on the economic survival of the whole family. There are many instanceswhere the husband fled to escape from forced labour or from arrest because of non-paymentof taxes or overstaying of travel permits. The wife is then left behind with her children. Sheis suddenly compelled to find a means to feed them and she becomes particularly vulnerableto sexual harassment and rape.

Moreover, a series of measures have been imposed to control birth and limit expansion of

the Rohingya population. In Northern Rakhine State, unlike any other part of Myanmar,Muslim couples must apply for permission to get married, which is only granted in exchange

Anti-Slavery International Thomas Clarkson House, TheStableyard, Broomgrove Road, LondonSW9 9TL

Tel:.+ 44 (0)20 7501 8920 Fax: +44 (0)207738 4110 e-mail: antislavery@antislavery.org website: http://www.antislavery.org

8/6/2019 Violence Against Rohingya Women: Oral Intervention by Anti-Slavery Internation

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for high bribes and can take up to several years to obtain. These obstacles to marriage aredestroying the social fabric of the community and the authorities punish couples discoveredto meet secretly with a fine or jail sentence for illegal relationship. Unwanted pregnanciesand unsafe abortions are reportedly on the rise. Many young couples have abandoned theirparents and fled toBangladesh in order to live together.

Even after marriage, womens dignity is greatly offended, as they have to declare their pregnancy to the NaSaKa and sometimes even show their belly. In North Maungdaw, it hasalso been reported in 2004 that women are being prohibited from having more than 3children. In the event of a fourth pregnancy, the husband will be beaten and the authoritieswill refuse to register the newborn child.

Living in such an oppressive environment with no protection, many women have fledto Bangladesh where they are considered as illegal migrants and face slavery-like labourconditions in order to survive. Others have relied on people smugglers to goto Pakistan or Saudi Arabia to join their husbands or relatives already there. There, too, theyare denied protection, not only as illegal migrants, but also as stateless persons.

Mr. Chairman,

The voices and cries of Rohingya women should no longer be left unheard. Measures needto be put in place urgently to allow them to live in full human dignity. We appeal to thisCommission [to address their situation of statelessness with the Government of Myanmarand] to do everything within its power to ensure that their fundamental rights are respectedand guaranteed.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.