Foreign Secretary announces additional UK support for victims of sexual violence in Burma

Wednesday 19 Sep 2018 @ 15:10
Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign Secretary begins 2-day visit for talks with Burmese leaders on the Rohingya crisis and announces additional UK support for victims of sexual violence in Burma.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will today (19 September) arrive in Burma for a 2-day visit to the country, which will include talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday.

During his trip to Burma, Foreign Secretary Hunt will visit the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners to talk to human rights defenders and visit northern Rakhine, the area from which thousands of Rohingya have fled.

Speaking on the first day of his visit, Foreign Secretary Hunt announced additional support from the UK to gather evidence for the Rohingya victims who have suffered sexual violence from members of the Burmese military in Rakhine.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

“The United Nations fact-finding mission exposed terrible suffering in Burma, and in the face of such serious allegations, no country that considers itself humane can stand back and do nothing. We are determined to do all we can to provide security, dignity and justice to the victims. It will be a long journey, but it starts with their conditions right now.

“We have already provided counselling and psychological support to more than 10,000 women and deployed mid-wives to help provide care to over 53,000 women. Together with our international partners, we will increase our support for those who have been victim of these heinous acts. This will include additional deployment of the PSVI Team of Experts by the end of 2018, development of a code of conduct for gathering such evidence, support for an enhanced coordination mechanism, and more capacity building. We are also exploring options to increase psychosocial support.”

Before his visit to Burma Foreign Secretary Hunt held a meeting in London last week with representatives from the Rohingya community from Bradford where he heard stories of the persecution they had faced in Rakhine.

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