WHEN WOMEN SPEAK: SHAME, EVIDENCE, AND AN OPPORTUNITY
By Naw May Oo, Naw Dorcus Moo, Saw Aw Baw Mu, and Saw Kaw Htoo

April 18, 2004 – (Mizzima News) "Shattering Silences," the Karen Women Organization (KWO) report on the rape of women by Burma Army troops, is a compilation of first-person voices and testimonies of the Karen women in areas of armed conflict in Eastern Burma.

It is reminiscent of last year's highly publicized report "License to Rape" published by the Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN) and Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF).

As evidenced by the painful stories recounted in the KWO report, these rape victims have been deeply traumatized and haunted by these cruel experiences and painful memories. The report is also a powerful reminder that the "gentleman's cease-fire agreement" between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has yet to become a reality on the ground, especially for the Karen communities in the armed conflict zones of Karen state.

Unfortunately, while the prevailing culture in Burma condemns rape as the most despicable crime, even worse than murder, it still shuns rape victims.

The thunderous silence that results is being shattered as these Karen women feel compelled to tell the world their shame-filled, traumatic experiences. These courageous women believe that to remain silent and live with this injustice and personal violation of the worst imaginable kind would destroy their souls, not just their bodies.

Indeed it is essential for them to tell their accounts of rape and those of their fellow victims who were murdered by the rapists. For not only must the world be made aware of the harsh consequences of the prolonged armed conflict in Karen State, it also should compel the SPDC to prevent further victimization of women who have no other option than to live in Burma's conflict or cease-fire areas.

The report does not bode well for the establishment of a formal cease-fire - and hopefully - lasting peace in Karen state. Many supporters of the on-going cease-fire efforts between Burmese generals and the KNU leadership shake their heads in disbelief at the denials categorically made by the SPDC regime regarding Burma Army Troops and the rape and murder of a significant number of Karen women throughout Karen state.

The degree of truth in the KWO rape report may be questioned by the SPDC, but to outwardly dismiss the Report in which 125 women attest to being victims of rape does not help in advancing the talks between the two groups.

Institutions and authorities worldwide do not like to admit to problems of sexual violence and sex abuse within their own organizations as such news heightens a fear that their image and reputation will be irreparably damaged. In the face of clearly irrefutable truth, that Burmese troops rape and murder women in civil war zones, the SPDC will only damage their image further by continually denying reports of rape.

Authorities in Rangoon need to make sure that the Burmese troops in the war zones of Burma understand unequivocally that they will be held accountable for these crimes of rape and murder. The Burma Army is controlled tightly through the central chain of command, and if the troops are delivered a stern warning that the Central Command in Rangoon means business this time, a significant drop in the rape or rape-and-murder cases can be expected.

In addition to sending a strong message to the rank and file, there are a few practical steps that the authorities can take in order to address this systemic problem of sexual violence by troops toward ethnic minority women in the armed conflict zones.

In light of the on-going ceasefire efforts between Rangoon and the KNU, it is crucial that both sides find ways to work together to address this serious issue in a constructive and timely manner so that the ceasefire efforts may not get derailed by an emotionally explosive issue such as rape and murder of Karen women. While the report "Shattering Silence" clearly creates a headache for the authorities in Rangoon, it also presents them with an opportunity to prove that the troops are not raping ethnic minority women as a matter of state policy.

The authorities may assign the responsibility of looking into the matter seriously to the national women organization, namely the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MMCWA). MMCWA should begin fact-finding regarding the allegations or reports of rape and other sexual violence, establish a mechanism to monitor the situation on the ground and recommend a line of actions aimed to curb and eventually end the use of rape as a weapon of war by the Burma Army troops.

The well-known patrons of this association represent the most powerful segment of Burma - the wives of the ruling generals - and they are in a position to undertake the enquiry about the rape reports.

The KNU should officially ask the SPDC to arrange for a meeting between the representatives of the MMCWA and KWO in order that the woman readers from the two organizations may explore ways to work together toward the reduction and eventual elimination of rape as an institutional weapon of war. Individual acts of violence toward Karen women in war zones and ethnic minority women in general must be stopped. The two organizations are concerned about women's issues and therefore could set up a joint fact-finding commission concerning the rape report and work together to promote the well-fare of women and children in the Karen state.

Armed forces around the world have serious problems dealing with the allegations of rape, gang rapes, and other sexual violence, especially in war and armed conflict zones. The Burmese military is no exception.

Given the fact that the Burmese troops have been well documented to have raped ethnic minority women ("License to Rape" by SWAN/SHRF), it is highly probable that the women in "Shattering Silences" are telling the truth. The onus is entirely on the SPDC to prove otherwise.

Not only is rape a shame for the victims, it is also a shame for the perpetrators as well. The recurring raping and pillaging of minorities, especially in armed conflict areas, is a profound disgrace for the country of Burma, especially when the authorities reject the truth and people remain silent about the crimes of rape. With power comes responsibility and the SPDC authorities must now demonstrate that they are serious about righting the wrongs of the army, the institution which served them well over the past four decades.

Naw May Oo, based in Washington, D.C., is Director of Communications at Free Burma Coalition (FBC). Naw Dorcus Moo, a founding member of the Karen Students' Network Group (KSNG), a Thai-Burma border-based organization striving for education and political freedom for Karen people, is currently studying International Relations at Hartwick College, N.Y. Saw Aw Baw Mu is studying law at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. Saw Kaw Htoo, based in Canada, is Research Associate at the Institute of Education and Development Studies (IEDS).

From: http://www.mizzima.com/archives/nf/2004/nf-18-apr04NawMayOo21.htm