Local women returning to their homes are reportedly being sexually harassed by military council soldiers after fighting subsided in the Gyaing River basin on the border between Mon and Karen States.
Locals report that junta soldiers stationed in Dhamma Tha, Kyun Kone Paing and Ta Ra Nar villages verbally harass young women during street encounters, force middle-aged women to cook for them and knock on doors at inappropriate times at night. This has led to insecurity among residents.
One local woman said: “Junta soldiers often verbally harass young women when they are drunk. The soldiers force them to buy vegetables or cook for them. Now it is no longer safe for a woman to ride her motorcycle past the junta checkpoint in Dhamma Tha village. In Kyun Kone, the girls no longer even dare to sleep at home. The soldiers knock on the doors at night.”
According to reports, some local women have been sexually harassed by the junta troops, but cannot speak up due to threats.
Due to the lack of security, many of the women returning from displacement have chosen to go to Thailand, said a woman from the Gyaing River area.
“They interrogate you if you meet them on a deserted stretch of road. Sometimes they extort money. They don’t usually do that inside the village. Both young girls who have passed matric exam and high school students have gone to Thailand. Only older people dare to stay in the village,” she says.
Nai Aue Mon, director of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), said that the majority of local women are subjected to verbal sexual harassment by junta soldiers, which violates provisions of human rights.
“Verbal sexual harassment is very common. From a human rights point of view, it is even a violation when soldiers check girls’ bags or phones. Such cases often occur during the surprise checks in the evenings,” he said.
According to women’s rights activists and Mon human rights groups, there have been reports of sexual violence by junta troops who entered the Gyaing River area in late April.
Residents report that the junta troops stationed in the villages along the Gyaing River basin are still occupying houses and monasteries, despite saying they would leave when the IDPs return home.
Sent by IMNA.