An internally displaced woman narrowly escaped an attempted sexual assault by junta soldiers in a forested area in the Hsihseng area of southern Shan State and urgently needs a safe refuge.
On 14 April, junta soldiers held a displaced woman at gunpoint and attempted to sexually assault her in a forested area in Hsihseng Township, according to officials of a group helping Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Due to security concerns, she only managed to inform close contacts about her situation only after reaching a safe place, an IDP aid worker said.
“The soldiers pointed guns at her and forced her up into a tent. There were already some sick people inside the tent. The soldiers forced them out at gunpoint. The woman managed to escape while the junta soldiers shouted at the people. She just ran off without being able to take her slippers with her,” an IDP aid worker said.
The perpetrator was identified as Nyi Nyi Naing, a soldier from the Hsihseng-based Light Infantry Battalion 423, who is known to be a regular drug user, the victim told the aid workers.
She cannot return to the area she fled from as the junta troops are still searching for her. She urgently needs a safe temporary shelter, the aid worker said.
“She won’t go back to that tent. She managed to escape unharmed physically. But the trauma is immense. She’s terrified of encountering that soldier again and fears for her life,” the aid worker added.
Since the outbreak of fighting in Hsihseng in the last week of January, over 70,000 people have been displaced in southern Shan State as of April 15, most of whom are in urgent need of food and shelter assistance, according to the Pa-O Youth Organization (PYO).
Some of these 70,000 IDPs have sought refuge in the forests, where women face rights violations by both junta and Pa-O National Army (PNA) troops, other IDPs have reported.
Sent by NMG