STATISTICS
THE MAJORITY OF RAPE VICTIMS ARE 13-25 YEARS OLD
Source: The Washington Post
MORE THAN HALF OF THE RAPE VICTIMS ARE BELOW 18 YEARS OLD
Source: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
WHO ARE THE ROHINGYA?
The Rohingya Muslims are an ethnic minority in Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation. They are seen by the Burmese government as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and have been denied citizenship. In 2017, they numbered 1 million in Myanmar.
WHAT IS THE ROHINGYA CRISIS?
In August 2017, a group of Rohingya Arsa militants launched deadly attacks on more than 30 police posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. This sparked a deadly response by the Burmese troops together with local Buddhist mobs who burned down the Rohingya villages, killed the men and raped the women. As a result, there was an exodus of over 700,000 Rohingyas to their neighbouring country, Bangladesh. One of the consequences of this crisis is that many babies were conceived in rape, with the majority of them due in May 2018. While humanitarian groups such as Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children have scrambled their resources to prepare for the wave of babies, it has been an uphill task due to aid shortages and the fact that the number of victims is yet unknown.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE RAPE VICTIMS?
Rohingya women who were facing an unwanted pregnancy had few options. Some were given cheap abortion pills early on in their pregnancy, while others attempted to abort the child themselves, sometimes with deadly consequences. In addition, many of them have concealed their pregnancies because of shame and stigma, and this has led many of them to give birth in secret, leading to medical complications, or abandoning their babies when they are born.
Apart from that, many pregnant rape victims have had marriages hastily arranged, as families fear that if their daughter is unmarried and raped, their future is over as they are “damaged goods.” Others who were married when they were raped may have witnessed their husbands and children being killed, but lack the help they need to process the trauma they have been through.
WHAT NOW:
– Pray that these rape victims will receive the help they need, and that in spite of the anger they feel toward their rapists, they will still be able to love the child instead of abandoning them.
– Thank God for the aid organisations working tirelessly among the Rohingya, and pray that they will be able to identify women and children in need.
– Look up Save The Children, an organisation that supports the Rohingya children. If you are able to, donate to their cause!
– Think: How can these Rohingyan women find hope in God, a God who cares for justice?
