YANGON - Officially, rape hardly happens in Myanmar and domestic abuse is non-existent. The reality? Violence against women is so pervasive it is regarded as normal - and as a result - woefully underreported, says lawyer and activist Hla Hla Yee.
According to government statistics, there were 1,405 rape cases in 2017, up from 1,110 the year before - around two thirds committed against children.Victims, who are required to prove there was no consent, are routinely blamed and ostracised in the rare cases when the perpetrator is found guilty. Rights' campaigners had hoped it would finally force change, but Hla Hla Yee says it falls woefully short.
"The penal code is no longer in line with the modern age," she says, adding her team will write to MPs to demand revisions are made to the bill.