On 19 June 2021 the Royal Danish Embassy in Myanmar released a Statement attributable to UNFPA Office in Myanmar.
Together with the Embassies of Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Since 2015, this day has drawn urgent global attention to this insidious form of violence. Today, we use this occasion to unequivocally condemn acts of sexual violence by all armed actors, and those associated with them, in Myanmar.
Sexual violence is never justified under any circumstances. All armed actors have a responsibility to prohibit this form of violence from occurring and take full responsibility when it is perpetrated.
Survivors of sexual violence – girls, boys, women, men, sexual and gender minorities – and their families carry the trauma of these heinous crimes. Access to timely and safe physical and mental health support services is critical. In Myanmar, survivors including those born of rape, live with shame, stigma, limited health and social support, and few options to seek legal redress.
All armed actors in Myanmar are obligated to adhere to international law and standards, including the core tenets of international human rights law, humanitarian law, and criminal law. They must allow full humanitarian access in all parts of Myanmar, including sites of detention.
Perpetrators of sexual violence must be held to account and survivors provided with prompt non-discriminatory healthcare, legal redress, and social protection. Laws and policies to address violence against women and conflict related sexual violence must meet international definitions and standards.
Under the December 2018 Joint Communique between the UN and the government of Myanmar, the Myanmar Armed Forces are obligated to prohibit and respond to conflict-related sexual violence. This includes, but is not limited to, access to survivor-centred multi-sectoral support and the exclusion of amnesties for perpetrators of sexual violence.
