A recent report published by the Mon State Police revealed 80 cases of rape were reported in Mon State in 2018, increasing 31 percent from 2017.
The rapes reported in 2018 were spread across Mon state in Mawlamyine Township (twenty-three cases), Ye Township (sixteen cases), Kyaikhto (eight cases), Thaton (seven cases), Beelin (six cases), Mudon (six cases), Kyaikmayaw (four cases), Chaungzone (4 cases), Thanbyuzayat (three cases), and Paung (three cases).
The victims of the reported cases were either women or children. More than 71 percent of 2018 cases involved child victims, while the roughly remaining 29 percent involved adult female victims.
Mon State MP Daw Khaing Khaing Leh speculates poverty and drugs are to blame for the spike in rape cases: “I think those are the key causes of the cases, but, there is no concrete research in Myanmar yet for the reasons why they happen.”
Daw Khaing Khaing Leh is also the chairwoman of Mon State Parliamentary Women and Children’s Rights Committee. She proposed that to prevent and reduce sexual harassment and abuse, it’s necessary to give heavy punishment to sex offenders while also focusing on the prevention through educational awareness.
More educational awareness about the reporting process could also explain the increase in the number of rape cases reported last year. “In the past, after the sexual abuse cases were committed, no one reported or filed charges. It just went silent. But now, people are becoming more aware of reporting the cases, and they come to report,” said Mi Cherry Soe, the Director of Women Empowerment Program.
However, Mi Cherry Soe also acknowledged that when the sexual abuse cases were brought to court, they were not dealt with quickly, and there was no modern technology to assist with evidence collection.“Some people think that they can commit the abuses as they assume that when they do, there won’t be any charges or arrests.”
According to the Yangon police report, Yangon Region also had an increase in reports of sexual assault in 2018, with a total of 298 cases reported, 28 more cases than the previous year.
