A United Nations women’s rights panel called on Myanmar on Tuesday to report within six months on rapes and sexual violence against Rohingya women and girls by its security forces in northern Rakhine state. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) also asked authorities to provide details on women and girls killed in the violence since the army crackdown began in late August. The campaign, which followed attacks on police posts by Rohingya insurgents, has driven more than 620,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh and left their villages burned to the ground. The rare request for an “exceptional report” from a country was only the panel’s fourth since 1982. Reuters reported on Monday that the UN Human Rights Council is expected to hold a special session in Geneva on December 5 on killings, rapes and other crimes committed against Rohingya in Myanmar.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 28, 2017 11:26 UTC