Coinciding with the UN International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

Equality Myanmar (EQMM) has released a comprehensive situational analysis documenting the unprecedented scale, patterns, and systemic nature of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) across Myanmar in the aftermath of the 1 February 2021 military coup d’état.

The report, titled “Enduring Silence: Analysis of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Myanmar,” presents rigorous mixed-methods research covering incidents between February 2021 and December 2025. It reveals that sexual violence is actively utilized by the military junta forces as a deliberate, structural instrument of warfare, torture, social control, and state-sponsored terror rather than appearing as isolated or incidental occurrences.

Drawing on primary data from Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with survivors and witnesses, EQMM’s Documentation Team successfully verified 217 specific conflict-related sexual violence incidents involving 161 identified survivors and victims. Crucially, the findings indicate that severe forms of sexual violence—specifically rape and gang rape—comprise the overwhelming majority (68%) of all documented violations, heavily enabled by a long-standing, deeply entrenched culture of institutionalized impunity.

“The findings detailed herein reveal distinct patterns of abuse utilized as instruments of warfare, social control, and state-sponsored terror… This publication serves as a formal mandate to dismantle the culture of silence; it advocates for comprehensive accountability, survivor-centric justice, and a transition toward a legal framework where dignity and human rights supersede authoritarian brutality.”

The report provides empirical proof of the disproportionate gender, age, and regional impacts of CRSV within the current non-international armed conflict landscape:

Extreme Gender Disproportionality: 91% (147 individuals) of the identified survivors and victims are female, with young women facing the highest joint probability of victimization. However, the report stresses that CRSV is not confined to women; male survivors, boys, and LGBTQIA+ individuals were also systematically targeted, particularly within military detention and prison environments.

Alarming Child Victimization: Terrifyingly, 26% (39 individuals) of all documented victims and survivors were children under the age of 18. This includes cases involving children between 10–15 years old and individuals under the age of 10.

Geographical Epicenter: While violations were recorded nationwide, the conflict-affected central Dry Zone (Anya area) emerged as the epicenter. Sagaing Region led with 38% of cases, followed by Mandalay Region (21%) and Magway Region (16%), directly correlating localized spikes in CRSV with zones of active, intense military confrontation.

Chronological Escalation: Documented annual cases more than doubled over the reporting period, rising sharply by 83.3% between 2021 and 2022, and hitting a peak of 53 cases in 2024, demonstrating that CRSV has become routine and consolidated within the broader ecosystem of state repression.

The quantitative data establishes a marked concentration of responsibility: 87.1% (189 cases) of all documented incidents are directly attributed to the Myanmar military junta and its affiliated proxy networks, such as the Pyu Saw Htee militia. In contrast, armed resistance forces and Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs) were implicated in 5.5% and 2.8% of cases respectively, highlighting the critical need for absolute compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) across all armed entities.

Qualitative analysis highlights how rape is systematically deployed as an explicit method of punitive torture against political opponents, civil servants participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), and humanitarian healthcare workers. Furthermore, CRSV is rarely committed in isolation; 27% of documented survivors were subsequently murdered or subjected to extrajudicial execution, often accompanied by severe physical mutilation, burning, and deliberate concealment of remains to destroy living evidence.

“It is imperative that the cycles of impunity are broken and the perpetrators of these appalling crimes face justice.”

Following the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s domestic judicial structures have largely collapsed. In junta-controlled areas, military courts operate in total secrecy, shielding perpetrators and denying victims any opportunity to participate in proceedings. In cross-border refugee contexts, such as along the Thailand-Myanmar frontier (e.g., Mae Sot), survivors face prohibitive legal, administrative, and linguistic barriers, leaving them isolated without systemic legal remedies or formal redress.

Equality Myanmar emphasizes that the documented figures represent only a small fraction of the actual scale of violations on the ground due to internet shutdowns, extreme security threats, and deep social stigma. EQMM urges decisive regional and global intervention:

To the International Community: Transition from symbolic diplomatic statements to concrete enforcement measures, including coordinated sanctions targeting military leadership and revenue streams, strict embargoes on aviation fuel and weapons, and direct support for investigative mechanisms executing universal jurisdiction.

To ASEAN: Abandon passive diplomacy and the failed Five-Point Consensus. Actively prioritize cross-border humanitarian corridors, civilian protection, and engage directly with local civil society and survivor networks.

To International Donors: Dynamically increase long-term, flexible, and multi-year core funding directly to grassroots women’s rights organizations, survivor-centric support networks, and localized human rights documentation groups working under high-risk environments.

“For any inquiries or further questions, please feel free to reach out to us.”

Dr. Sein Hlaing, Executive Director – Signal- 66987433660

Ye Yint , Documentation and Research Senior Coordinator- Signal -66944460890

---

Download report.