Report warns of sexual violence against Rohingya women in Rakhine
Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK says abuse, detention and intimidation against Rohingya women continue amid global inaction
YANGON, Myanmar (MNTV) — Rohingya women and girls in Myanmar’s Rakhine State are facing escalating sexual violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation under the control of the Arakan Army, according to a new report released Thursday by the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK).
The report warns that patterns of abuse historically associated with the Burmese military’s campaign against the Rohingya are now increasingly emerging in areas controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group that has expanded its territorial control across large parts of western Myanmar during the country’s ongoing civil conflict.
BROUK’s briefing, titled Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls: Emerging Patterns of Abuse in Arakan Army-Controlled Areas of Rakhine State, documents alleged cases of rape, gang rape, threats of sexual violence and abuse linked to forced recruitment raids, arbitrary detention and incommunicado confinement.
According to the report, Rohingya women and girls are being targeted amid worsening humanitarian conditions, mass displacement and tightening restrictions imposed on Rohingya communities in northern Rakhine State.
The findings come as more than 150,000 Rohingya have fled into neighboring Bangladesh since late 2024, adding to nearly 1 million refugees already living in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar after escaping earlier waves of violence in Myanmar.
BROUK said deteriorating conditions inside Rakhine State have increased risks of trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse, while a lack of accountability has allowed violations against Rohingya civilians to continue with impunity.
“The genocide against the Rohingya did not end in 2017,” BROUK President Tun Khin said in a statement released alongside the report.
“The international community failed to dismantle the system that enabled genocide against the Rohingya. Today, those same structures are being reproduced under new authorities,” he added.
The Arakan Army has emerged as one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed groups since fighting intensified following the 2021 military coup. While the group has positioned itself as a resistance force against Myanmar’s military junta, Rohingya organizations and rights advocates have increasingly accused it of abuses against Rohingya civilians in areas under its control.
BROUK said abuses committed against Rohingya communities should be investigated regardless of whether perpetrators are linked to the Burmese military or the Arakan Army.
The report also comes amid growing international concern over accountability failures in Myanmar. Rights groups and United Nations officials have repeatedly warned that continued impunity for atrocity crimes has enabled recurring violence against the Rohingya minority.
BROUK also called for expanded humanitarian access and increased funding for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and conflict-affected communities inside Rakhine State.
“There can be no genuine future for Burma while anti-Rohingya persecution continues,” Tun Khin said.
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