Women’s day: A tribute to the falling soldiers, our
Rohingya women
By Dr. Anita Schug
ERC spokesperson
There are increasing reports on Rohingya and the ongoing
genocide and strategic approaches to merciless torture reaching the mainstream
media, in addition to many discussions on social platforms like Twitter and
Facebook. The Burmese military is getting more offensive against Rohingya
civilians after 09.10.2016 attacks on its 3 border posts. What is most striking
is that under a female’s leadership Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Rohingya women and
children are increasingly being targeted to nonstop abuse and violence.
Increasing numbers of Rohingya women are adversely affected by the ongoing
clearance (physical elimination) operations, their sufferings, special needs as
women are underestimated and under-reported and sacrifices made by our Rohingya
women have largely been unacknowledged and are forgotten as a resultant.
As a very young child I remember being surrounded mostly
by Rohingya women and girls. There were hardly few male Rohingya around in
Burma. Some turning up before dawn after hard work on the rice or other crop
fields or returning from fishing. Some stayed at home for security purposes. It
is widely believed that the presence of male members at a house would protect
their properties and its female members in their respective homes. Under very
limited resources and under the oppressive Burmese government´s policies an
ordinary Rohingya family hardly manages one time meal. Because of the instincts
and the sacrificing nature of a Rohingya mother, she first serves meal to the
male family members and children and then only the remaining or the leftover
would be happily shared between her and other female adult family members. Many
times, she feeds her children even the remaining left overs while she would
more than often go to bed hungry. At the time, I was too young to analyse why
and to question this prevalent practice.
Next day women and girls do all the house chores
including fetching water, looking after the crop fields, milking their farm
cows, gathering and carrying woods and repairing homes, almost everything was
done by the adult females who were also fully responsible for rearing their
children. Rohingya women were and still are literally doing all the jobs of
Rohingya men. Despite of a female’s irreplaceable roles, she is very vulnerable
outside her home and very frequently subjected to gender bias and associated
violence. Due to extreme poverty and direct government discriminative policies,
Rohingya girls and women at times face indirect hideous traditional practices
demanded by their communities. Many Rohingya female child faces discrimination
and limited access to food, education, privileges and abuse including forced
early marriage. Already hit hard by repressive state policies like restriction
of movement and denied access to education, sending Rohingya girls to school is
not encouraged by many Rohingya families. Thus, there is a high illiteracy rate
among Rohingya girls and women which further deepens their economic dependence
on their spouses and other male family members. This further chains them to the
ongoing vicious cycle of community imposed repression and freedom becomes
impossible.
Thus, Rohingya women suffered and continue to suffer
under two repressive states namely under central government apartheid policies
and other within their own Rohingya and Rakhine community. They continue to
suffer gender inequality.
Rohingya men, meant to defend their Rohingya women are
forced to flee when the Burmese military raids their villages leaving them
vulnerable to all forms of sexual violence and humiliation. In addition to
this, Rohingya women are left with their children to survive on their own. Many
die of diseases and torture of Rakhine extremist and Burmese military. During
the recent clearance operation by Burmese military at least 400 Rohingya women
were raped including very young girls. During the physical sexual harassments,
they are forced to watch helplessly how their children are killed in front of
their own eyes. Also, human trafficking for forced marriages and sex trade have
become increasingly thriving businesses. Some girls are impregnated because of
rape during their boat journeys, promising them safety. They are held in
captivity unless they pay heavy amount as a ransom that is simply not
affordable. Many have been abused and have died from brutality imposed in
captivity.
Majority of Rohingya community in exile are also not free
from poverty. But the situation of Rohingya women diaspora is a bit better in
comparison with their sisters in Burma. Many have better access to education
but again when it comes to deciding between a son and a daughter to pursue
further education, inclination towards the son is observed. This leaves them
again dependant on their male family members and the cycle of repression goes
on and the apparent situation is hopeless unless changes in attitude and belief
are attained.
In health care, Rohingya women are hit the hardest.
Rohingya in Myanmar cannot get treated in public clinics and hospitals. The are
no trained midwifes for Rohingya women to assist during deliveries. 99 percent
of Rohingya women deliver in unsanitary conditions at home and with any pain
management. There is a high maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. Even in
exile, Rohingya women have no choice but to remain at home due to remain home
due to expensive doctor and hospital bill leaving them with excruciating pain
and chronic diseases. Rohingya women are forced to fight two wars; one against
the hostile extremist Rakhine and Buddhist community including their own community
practices blindly followed for generations and the other against their
government for their ethnic rights. Despite of all these dangerous and
repressive policies both imposed upon by their neighboring community of
different race and their government, these invisible soldiers have shown
enormous strength and solidarity to resist and survive. Despite of being raped
and forcefully displaced, Rohingya women continue to lead as real architects of
our society and we can confidently promise you this much that our steadfastness
to survive would remain unshaken.
Today, on international women’s day, we Rohingya women
call on the world to show your solidarity for the oppressed Rohingya sisters
and daughters in Myanmar. Violence coming from any level can only thrive in
silence. Speak up and act to allow little Rohingya girls with dreams to become
women of vision.
The government of Myanmar should keenly ensure all the
rights of people regardless of race, colour, religion and gender. With it the
community aggravated violence and misuse of authority on women would as a
result cease to take place.
Poem: A Tribute to The Rohingya Rape Victims
By Dr.Yasmin Haroon
With a frown, down you look at me,
Naked and torn you watch me lie,
You can bear me cry I see,
Rather having survived ashes are what I´d rather be,
Wont you calm my fears,
Wont you wipe my streaming tears,
Wont you protect me from accusing stares and disgrace,
Wont you help me face the world so cold,
You are my strength isn’t this what I have always been
told?
A promise you gave beside me you’d stand bold.
You teach me to stand for my rights.
Then why have you turned away your sight,
Why have you dimmed your guiding light?
I have been brutally and repeatedly raped,
They had my mouth gagged,
They had my lips taped,
They had my limbs tightly tied,
They had a knife to my throat so I don’t make a sound.
It wasn’t just their lust,
It was also the revenge they had built.
Then how is it that I’m responsible?
You had me believed that you’d be more sensible.
I did no wrong to accept the blame,
To no one I’m a shame.
I faced all alone what had come,
I will continue to do so what will come.
I no longer need you,
I have my hope to a better future as the guiding sun.
Author`s note: The above poem is dedicated to
all the Rohingya women to strive in every possible way to make it to another
sunrise in the midst of battling all the atrocities surrounding them. I dedicate this poem to my Parents: Mr and
Mrs Haroon and my sisters: Dr. Ambia and Dr. Anita.