Double punishment

Double punishment: blame and rejection following rape

In three of the incidents, the women suffered blame by their boyfriends or husbands following the rape. One of these women had her engagement broken off by her boyfriend, who refused to come and see her after the rape. Another woman was taunted by her husband, who called her "Burmese leftovers."

In a particularly disturbing case, a woman was beaten by her husband following the rape:

"When my husband came home (after the rape), I told him what had happened. He was furious at me and beat me. The relationship between me and my husband suffered tremendously as a result of the rape. Every day, my husband and children would say "Prostitute! If you want to sell sex, we will build you a small hut in the jungle. You can sell sex there." I felt very hurt by these words, until finally I couldn't stand it any longer. I divorced my husband. When I went to see my children, they said: "Whore, you are not our mother, don't come see us any more," and drove me away. My husband said: "You didn't control yourself. You had sex with another man. You are no longer my wife. Leave our house right now." Eventually I decided to come to Thailand." (case 3) 

In another case, a schoolgirl who was raped in the street by a Burmese army soldier, was refused support by her family.

"My family didn't understand, and they didn't take care of me. They didn't accept me, and my friends looked down on me. I felt completely alone and depressed. This was in 1991, when I was in 10th standard in Murng Hsat high school. I had to take an examination soon after the rape, but my depression kept me from taking the exam. This affected everything, and my life went downhill." (case 1)

In a further incident, a twelve-year-old girl with poor eyesight who suffered attempted rape and serious physical injury by an SPDC soldier on her way back from a temple, was blamed by the community for the incident:

Many of the villagers blamed Naang Tong (not her real name) for the incident, claiming she had been foolish to return to Ton Hoong (from the temple) without the elders. (case 144)

The incidents above indicate clearly that gender attitudes within these communities are grossly unjust towards the rape survivors, and urgently need to be changed. 

Despite the prevalence of these unjust attitudes, it is encouraging to note one case in which the woman had the strength to refuse to succumb to community pressure, which she felt was against the best interests of herself and her family. This is the case (no. 135) in which the raped woman became pregnant. When it became known she was pregnant, she was urged by other villagers to find a husband, to avoid censure among the community. Despite being disabled, a refugee, and already having a young son from her former marriage, she did not succumb to this pressure, preferring to remain a single mother. She explained: "I know we'll have a difficult time, but I don't want my child to have a step-father. Some men love only women, but not their children. If I get married, it will be difficult to get a divorce." (case 135)