Documentation of Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls in Myanmar
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
(Re)Imagining ‘Justice’: Documentation of Sexual Violence against Rohingya Women and Girls in Myanmar by Theressa Etmanski Master of Arts, University of British Columbia, 2012 Juris Doctor, University of British Columbia, 2012 Bachelor of Arts, Simon Fraser University, 2008 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF LAW in the Faculty of Law Theressa Etmanski, 2018 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee (Re)Imagining ‘Justice’: Documentation of Sexual Violence against Rohingya Women and Girls in Myanmar by Theressa Etmanski Master of Arts, University of British Columbia, 2012 Juris Doctor, University of British Columbia, 2012 Bachelor of Arts, Simon Fraser University, 2008 Supervisory Committee Victor V. Ramraj, Department of Law Supervisor Helen Lansdowne, Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives Outside Member iii Abstract The Rohingya population of Myanmar have been called one of the most persecuted ethnic minorities on earth. Beyond the systemic discrimination and ongoing violations of basic human rights, Tatmadaw operations against Rohingya communities in Rakhine State in recent years have amounted to ethnic cleansing, if not genocide. Reports of widespread sexual violence by security forces have garnered significant international attention, increasing our collective awareness of how rape is used as a weapon of war. In light of Canada’s Special Envoy to Myanmar’s report recommending that investigation take place to establish an evidence base for future prosecutions, it is critical that sexual and gender-based violence crimes be adequately factored into documentation strategies. This strategy will send a message that abuses upon women’s bodies are no longer regarded as mere inevitable ‘spoils of war’, but instead belong among the gravest of crimes, worthy of international resources and expertise to address. In order to minimize further intrusion into the lives of Rohingya survivors, it is necessary to consider the various possible justice mechanisms that may be used, and the different methods and standards of documentation that may be required for each. While early documentation efforts are encouraged so that relevant evidence is not lost, these considerations call for careful research, planning and ethical reflection. In order to contribute to this process, this thesis explores how law may operate to bring about justice for sexual and gender-based violence, and provides guidance on how to document evidence to be used for this purpose. At the same time, it recognizes that the form of justice international criminal trials can offer is inherently limited in scope. It further explores how “justice”, a contested concept, is not always defined or achieved through the punishment of perpetrators alone. It therefore draws on critiques of international criminal justice to imagine other ways that justice might manifest, and then identifies the methods of documentation possible to facilitate these efforts. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee .................................................................................................. ii Abstract......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ...........................................................................................................iv List of Abbreviations.......................................................................................................v Acknowledgments..........................................................................................................vi Dedication.....................................................................................................................vii Chapter I: Introduction ....................................................................................................1 I. Research Questions..............................................................................................4 II. Methodology........................................................................................................5 III. Rohingya Context ............................................................................................7 Chapter II: Documentation of Evidence at an International Criminal Law Standard.......15 I. Introduction .......................................................................................................16 II. Documenting Evidence for International Prosecutions .......................................23 A. Standard of documentation..............................................................................24 B. Elements to prove .........................................................................................28 C. Guidelines on the documentation of sexual violence........................................53 D. Where to document .........................................................................................62 E. Who should document.....................................................................................64 III. Conclusion.....................................................................................................68 Chapter III: Critical Perspectives, Rethinking Justice and Documentation .....................71 I. Introduction .......................................................................................................71 II. Critical Perspectives...........................................................................................72 A. Feminist legal theories ...................................................................................72 B. Third world approaches to international law (TWAIL)...................................77 C. Rohingya perspectives ...................................................................................80 III. Re-Thinking Justice .......................................................................................84 IV. Documenting for Alternative Justice Models..................................................89 A. Truth commissions and issue specific inquires ...............................................90 B. Online truth-telling, activism, and consciousness-raising................................92 C. Transformative reparations ............................................................................94 V. Conclusion.......................................................................................................100 Chapter IV: Conclusion...............................................................................................102 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................107 v List of Abbreviations ACRS Advisory Commission on Rakhine State ARSA Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women CSO Civil Society Organization ECCC Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia EoC Elements of Crimes HRW Human Rights Watch ICC International Criminal Court ICTR International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda ICTY International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia ICL International Criminal Law International International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Protocol Violence in Conflict MSF Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders NGO Non-Governmental Organization OTP Office of the Prosecutor (of the International Criminal Court) SCSL Special Court for Sierra Leone SGBV Sexual and Gender-Based Violence UN United Nations UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHRC United Nations Human Rights Council UNSC United Nations Security Council vi Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisors, Victor Ramraj and Helen Lansdowne, for their direction and invaluable comments on this thesis. My gratitude also goes to Asad Kiyani for his guidance and feedback on an earlier draft of the ideas expressed in Chapter II. Returning to university to complete this LLM would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, in particular Leona and Carl who gave me a home in Victoria. Finally, I am in the debt of the many feminist thinkers before me, whose dedicated labour has inspired and informed the ideas in this thesis. vii Dedication For the Rohingya of Myanmar. May they soon find justice. 1 Chapter I: Introduction In April 2018, Myanmar was placed on a United Nations (UN) “blacklist” for credible suspicion that state actors had committed sexual violence against Rohingya women and girls.1 International human rights organizations, as well as various UN bodies, have also documented allegations that Rohingya women have been systemically raped by Myanmar security forces (Tatmadaw), Myanmar Border Guard Police, and other militia groups. According to these accounts, rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) have been used as a weapon to terrorize Rohingya communities; a deliberate tool to drive them from their villages and out of the country.2 The Myanmar government has categorically denied these accusations.3 Bangladesh now houses approximately 900,000 Rohingya refugees.4 The camps in Cox’s Bazaar are filled with international humanitarian aid organizations, and frequented with visits from international journalists, diplomats, human rights organizations,