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STORY: UN / ROHINGYA SEXUAL VIOLENCE
TRT: 03:15
SOURCE: UNIFEED / UNHCR / WFP / OCHA
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR AND WFP FOOTAGE ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 03 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - OCHA - 4 APRIL 2018 THET KAE PYIN CAMP, SITTWE TOWNSHIP, RAKHINE STATE, MYANMAR
1. Wide shot, scene of life in the camp, man with bike
FILE - OCHA - 4 APRIL 2018, DAR PAI CAMP, SITTWE TOWNSHIP, RAKHINE STATE, MYANMAR
2. Med shot, girl crouching by the door
03 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“Many thousands were killed, many thousands have disappeared, but even higher numbers are victims of sexual violence. So many, we believe that actually there was a massive and systematic campaign of sexual violence.”
FILE - UNHCR - 28 OCTOBER 2017, KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP, BANGLADESH
4. Close up, sign for birthing unit
5. Various shots, doctor examines pregnant woman
03 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“There is inevitably going to be a surge of births. And, again, we don’t know how many women and girls are pregnant now. We have heard reports of a lot of self-induced abortions, including of girls as young as 14 years-old.”
FILE -UNHCR - 28 OCTOBER 2017, KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP, BANGLADESH
7. Med shot, woman holding baby
03 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“The birth rate from the victims of what we believe could be a frenzy of sexual violence in August and September last year could come to term very soon. So, we are expecting a surge of births and unfortunately the health care facilities in what has now become the largest refugee camp in the world are extremely limited.”
FILE - WFP - 27 APRIL 2018, COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH
9. Wide shot, children playing in flooded area
10. Wide shot, girl pumping water
03 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“It will be even harder for them when the rains prevent access. Because there will be serious flooding. We fear there will be maybe landslides, there may be a cholera outbreak, there may be many things that will make it even harder.”
FILE - UNHCR - 13 MARCH 2018, KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP, BANGLADESH
9. Pan right, family moving with their possessions
10. Tracking shot, kid sleeping on her mother’s shoulder while walking
03 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“There are still ongoing rapes, and now when girls get taken away by the military, we are hearing stories that they don’t come back. And of course, their families fear the worst. And that is another reason why the families are compelled to leave Rakhine State in Myanmar and seek refuge.”
FILE - OCHA - 4 APRIL 2018 THET KAE PYIN CAMP, SITTWE TOWNSHIP, RAKHINE STATE, MYANMAR
12. Various shots, children in camp
03 MAY 2018, NEW YORK CITY
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“Refugees have made accountability a precondition for being able to return back to Myanmar because obviously they don’t want to go back if they feel that the soldiers who may have raped them, killed their relatives, burned their homes, are going around with impunity.”
FILE - WFP 28 APRIL 2018, COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH
14. Wide shot, people walking through camp
A top human rights official said that Rohingya women in Myanmar have been victims of “a massive and systematic campaign of sexual violence” beginning September last year, and many are now pregnant and due to give birth under very difficult conditions.
During an interview at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday (3 May), Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour, said “many thousands were killed, many thousands have disappeared, but even higher numbers are victims of sexual violence. So many, we believe that actually there was a massive and systematic campaign of sexual violence.”
It is estimated that there are over 40,000 pregnant women and girls among the Rohingya refugee population, and a significant number of these pregnancies are the result of rape.
In the absence of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health service – including prenatal, post-natal and delivery care, access to safe abortion and contraceptive options – the lives of these women and (in some cases very young) girls are at risk.
Gilmour said “there is inevitably going to be a surge of births. And, again, we don’t know how many women and girls are pregnant now. We have heard reports of a lot of self-induced abortions, including of girls as young as 14 years-old.”
Around 700,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since last August - victims of a text-book case of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar.
There are no reliable figures for those killed at the hands of Myanmar’s security forces, but it is assumed to be several thousands. Likewise, it is not known how many Rohingya women and girls were raped in Rakhine
Gilmour said “the birth rate from the victims of what we believe could be a frenzy of sexual violence in August and September last year could come to term very soon. So, we are expecting a surge of births and unfortunately the health care facilities in what has now become the largest refugee camp in the world are extremely limited.”
As the monsoon season begins, Gilmour said “it will be even harder for them when the rains prevent access. Because there will be serious flooding. We fear there will be maybe landslides, there may be a cholera outbreak, there may be many things that will make it even harder.”
The situation in the camps is characterized by an overall lack of protection and care mechanisms for survivors of sexual violence, especially access to psychosocial support and sexual and reproductive health services. The services currently available fall short of meeting the needs of women and girls, due to limited funding, as well as administrative requirements that impede service delivery.
According to statements from recent arrivals, it is feared that sexual violence may be continuing today.
Gilmour said “there are still ongoing rapes, and now when girls get taken away by the military, we are hearing stories that they don’t come back. And of course, their families fear the worst. And that is another reason why the families are compelled to leave Rakhine State in Myanmar and seek refuge.”
International efforts to pursue accountability for crimes, including sexual violence, and to prevent the recurrence of violations, are seen as crucial
Gilmour said refugees themselves are calling for accountability as a pre-condition for their safe return to their homeland.
He said, “refugees have made accountability a precondition for being able to return back to Myanmar because obviously they don’t want to go back if they feel that the soldiers who may have raped them, killed their relatives, burned their homes, are going around with impunity.”
Gilmour visited Cox’s Bazar from 2 to 4 March, where he toured the camps housing Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and spoke to those who fled across the border in recent weeks. The Assistant Secretary-General also met with local government officials and non-governmental organisations, as well as UN and other humanitarian partners.
