UN urge Burma’s govt to end impunity

01 May 2015 — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the government of Burma to put an end to the culture of impunity for sexual violence crimes.

He said that the government should “take practical and timely actions to protect and support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, and prosecute ‘security personnel accused of such crimes”.

His recent report submitted to the UN Security Council contained an account of how the Burma Army had tried to settle the case of a 10-year-old girl raped in early 2015 by a soldier by offering money to her family.

He said that sexual violence remains widespread in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine States, as well as areas subject to ceasefire agreements in Chin State and the south-east of the country.

Burma’s government endorsed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in June last year.

“Nevertheless, during 2014 there continued to be a high level of impunity for conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by State actors and a lack of transparency in military courts,” the report added.

While welcoming the country’s democratic transition process, Ban Ki-moon urged the inclusion of ‘sexual violence’ as an element in all ceasefire and peace negotiations.#