'EGREGIOUS' SEXUAL VIOLENCE REPORTS EMERGE FROM ROHINGYA
'EGREGIOUS'
SEXUAL VIOLENCE REPORTS EMERGE FROM ROHINGYA
The head of the UN's migration agency said
he's "shocked and concerned" about reports of sexual and gender-based
violence among new Rohingya arrivals in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
The International
Organization for Migration's Director-General
William Lacy Swing made the comments on Wednesday as Rohingya refugees
who escaped a military crackdown in Myanmar accused the army of raping women
and girls.
Myanmar's government denies
the claims, but has refused to allow international observers to investigate.
IOM is coordinating the
humanitarian response amid an exodus of an estimated 480,000 people who have
reached Cox's Bazar since August 25.
An agency statement on
Wednesday said IOM doctors have treated dozens of women who experienced
"violent sexual assault" since August, but said such numbers likely
represent only a "small portion" of actual cases.
Swing said such
"egregious violence and abuse is underreported" even in more stable
situations.
"Particularly women
and girls, but also men and boys, have been targeted for and are at risk of
further exploitation, violence and abuse simply because of their gender, age
and status in society," said Swing.
"IOM is supporting
survivors but I cannot emphasize enough that attempting to understand the scale
of gender-based violence through known case numbers alone is impossible."
It is estimated about
160,000 Rohingya women and young girls have arrived in Bangladesh in the past
month.
Two sisters who spoke to Al
Jazeera said they were raped by Myanmar soldiers.
"The military tortured
us," said 25-year-old Minara, who gave only one name. "They murdered
our parents. They took us to the jungle. They pushed us down on the
ground."
Her sister Aziza, 22, said
she was raped by two men and became unconscious.
The two sisters were
rescued by other refugees who helped them cross a river into Bangladesh.
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