Interview
Border News Agency
Mrauk-U, May 10.
In areas under the control of the Arakan Army, there have been incidents of serious crimes, including child rape and violent killings. Some of these acts were reportedly committed by both civilians and certain members of the Arakan Army.
The Arakan Army is currently operating administrative and judicial functions as part of the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government in those territories.
Therefore, local Arakanese people say that it is essential to ensure public safety and uphold the rule of law in these controlled areas.
A female student spoke out about incidents of child rape and violent killings in areas under the control of the Arakan Army.
“These kinds of rape and violent crime cases are extremely frightening. They are not new incidents they’ve been happening for some time, which makes it even more concerning for our society. In the most recent case, it even involved murder.
Seeing this makes me realize just how deeply our society is suffering beneath the surface.
It makes me think seriously and painfully about how many children and women might be experiencing sexual exploitation like this.
I realize that there may be many people being targeted for crimes like these.
Personally, I believe that those who commit rape should be dealt with very severely.
From a legal perspective, the laws currently applied by the ULA side are not much different from the criminal laws enforced in Myanmar.
Rape is prosecuted under Article 376, and since this case also involves murder, the perpetrator can be sentenced to either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
In the recent case, the crime involved rape followed by murder, so a severe punishment can be imposed.
Even if the death penalty is considered risky, I think there should be strict punishment to make potential offenders afraid and to let them know how seriously such crimes are treated.
The current ULA administration should also do more in terms of legal action and public education. For example, people should be made clearly aware of how serious the penalties are for committing rape.
On the other hand, I think it’s also very important that victims are not blamed or shamed in any way.
When it comes to women and children, proper systems should be in place to protect their rights, including child protection mechanisms.
I believe it would be appropriate to include sex education in school curricula as well.
And when punishing offenders, it would be more appropriate to impose penalties based on clear and specific legal provisions, outlining exactly what punishment corresponds to which offense.
When it comes to sexual violence, the measures to be taken should be clear and specific.
Another point is that family members of victims should be fully protected by law.
Regarding sexual abuse, I believe it would be more appropriate to have a dedicated office where victims can report these cases openly and transparently.”
