The Karens Womens Organization recently released their report titled State of Terror: The ongoing rape, murder, torture and forced labour suffered by women living under the Burmese Military Regime in Karen State (pdf).
The report documents 4000 cases of targeted civilian abuse of women and children by the SPDC. The report is a follow up to a 2004 report, Shattering Silences.
In this report forced labor accounts for 90% of the human rights violations carried out by the SPDC. The other 10% is made up of the following;
Abduction or Arbitrary Detention, 46.00% Assault or Torture, 31% Landmine Victim, 4.00% Rape or Sexual Assault, 32% Murder, 44% Looting / Theft, 29%
The report also outlines the "Four Cuts Policy" that has been sustained since 1970.
The Four Cuts Policy aims to cut access and supplies of food, funds, recruits and information to insurgent groups by systematically terrorising the civilian population in ethnic minority areas. In the “brown areas” (see map) forced relocation and forced labour are common practices. However, in the “black areas”, which are also called “free-fire zones”, the military troops shoot on sight at anything or any person seen. In addition they systematically extort or destroy villages, crops, livestock, churches, schools, houses, cash, valuables and rice fields. Some other common practices of the Four Cuts Policy include: detention, torture and execution; forced labour; forced relocation to sites and villages directly under the control of the Burmese military troops; and systematic rape and other forms of violence against women.
This report should highlight the brave souls who go into this terrian at the risk of their own lives to document such cases, as well as the victims who speak about their experiences, also at the risk of their own lives.
