Mister President,

Excellencies,

It is an honour to address you on this important topic.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar was established by this Council to investigate the most serious international crimes committed in Myanmar since 2011. Sexual and gender-based crimes – or SGBC – have been a grim hallmark of our investigations. We have collected substantial evidence of SGBC committed across the country against men and women, boys and girls, and people with diverse gender identities.

Investigating these crimes is challenging. They are under-reported and under-documented and, we recognize, historically under-prosecuted. At the Mechanism, we have made concerted effort to counter this by prioritizing the investigation of any incidents involving SGBC.

We have also systematically mainstreamed gender into our investigations and try to always consider the gender dimensions of the crimes we investigate. Myanmar is a patriarchal country, and this permeates every aspect of life. By integrating a gender lens into our investigations, we have more insight into how gender impacts the way survivors experience harm and what drives the perpetrators to commit these crimes. This gives us a more holistic and deeper understanding of the extent of harm, and the impact on the survivors and their communities.

While we recruit investigators and lawyers with specialized expertise in SGBC, they do not operate as an isolated unit. We have established an SGBC Working Group composed of investigators, lawyers, analysts, witness protection and support officers and other specialists, including those with linguistic, cultural and context-specific expertise. They ensure that gender considerations are integrated from the outset of priority investigations.

The Mechanism has also developed guidance documents and delivered training to its personnel on SGBC and gender approaches, including ways to identify warning signs or red flags suggesting that SGBC has taken place, is ongoing or is likely to happen.

We have also made significant efforts to engage with grassroots women’s groups, women leaders and LGBTQI groups from diverse Myanmar ethnicities to ensure we integrate their perspectives into our policies and investigations and give them a voice in the accountability process.

A gender lens is also useful when we consider how to support those we engage with. Survivors of SGBC have suffered indescribable trauma, yet the topic is often taboo. In many cases, they have not even told their family members what they have experienced for fear of stigmatization.

With a holistic understanding of the gender dynamics, we can engage with survivors in a more supportive and empowering manner. For example when we plan to speak to a woman we need to ask, does she have access to her own phone, or would she have to ask permission from her husband? Does she have family obligations that prohibit her from speaking to us at certain times? Do we need to arrange for a safe house where she can speak to us openly and where support can be provided?

The interview process can be very stressful for witnesses who are asked to recall very traumatic experiences. Our witness support unit, which includes a Burmese-speaking mental health professional, assesses the specific needs of each person before, during and after their engagement with us. They propose tailored interventions where needed – including the recommendation to not interview someone if the potential harm would be too great.

SGBC are some of the most challenging crimes to investigate and prosecute. However, we believe that by prioritising these investigations and mainstreaming gender considerations into all aspects of our work, there will one day be justice for survivors of these horrific crimes.

Thank you.

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