Escalating Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women in Arakan Army-Controlled Rakhine

A Thursday briefing by the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) documents rape, gang rape, torture, illegal detention and coercion of Rohingya women and girls in northern Rakhine State. The abuses are linked to recruitment raids, arbitrary arrests and in-communicado confinement by the Arakan Army, which now governs large swaths of the area. BROUK’s data, collected May 2024–April 2026, show over 150,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since late 2023 and about 900 refugees were reported dead or missing at sea in 2025.

Rohingya Women Face Rising Sexual Violence Under Arakan Army in MyanmarTRT WorldSexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls: Emerging patterns of abuse in Arakan Army-controlled areas of Rakhine State - Myanmar

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, have faced systematic discrimination since at least 1978’s Operation Dragon King, which displaced 200,000 people. The 1982 Citizenship Law rendered them stateless, and a 2017 military campaign destroyed villages, displaced over 750,000 people and was classified as genocide by international bodies.

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The Arakan Army is an ethnic armed group opposing Myanmar’s junta that now controls extensive territory in Rakhine State and operates a de-facto administration. BROUK, a UK-based advocacy organization, compiled the briefing from Rohingya testimonies; its president, Tun Khin, serves as the primary spokesperson.

Rohingya Women Face Rising Sexual Violence Under Arakan Army in Myanmar

BROUK urges the UN Security Council to convene an urgent session on violations of International Court of Justice provisional measures, to condemn sexual violence by both the Burmese military and the Arakan Army, and to boost humanitarian funding and targeted sanctions. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has called the Andaman Sea an “unmarked grave” for Rohingya refugees, underscoring the humanitarian emergency. BROUK also criticises the international community for not dismantling the structures that enabled the 2017 genocide.

Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls: Emerging patterns of abuse in Arakan Army-controlled areas of Rakhine State - MyanmarRohingya Women Face Rising Sexual Violence Under Arakan Army in MyanmarTRT World

The briefing relies on Rohingya eyewitness accounts from conflict zones; independent verification of incidents remains limited. The report provides no exact counts of rape or gang-rape cases, and the Arakan Army has not responded to the allegations.

Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls: Emerging patterns of abuse in Arakan Army-controlled areas of Rakhine State - Myanmar

“Tun Khin, President of BROUK, said: “The genocide against the Rohingya did not end in 2017.” — Tun Khin, President, BROUK

Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls: Emerging patterns of abuse in Arakan Army-controlled areas of Rakhine State - Myanmar

“The international community failed to dismantle the system that enabled genocide against the Rohingya.” — Tun Khin, President, BROUK

Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls: Emerging patterns of abuse in Arakan Army-controlled areas of Rakhine State - Myanmar

“Tun Khin added: “The world said ‘Never Again’ after the genocide against the Rohingya, yet Rohingya women and girls are once again being abandoned to violence, fear and impunity.” — Tun Khin, President, BROUK

Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls: Emerging patterns of abuse in Arakan Army-controlled areas of Rakhine State - Myanmar

“There can be no genuine future for Burma while anti-Rohingya persecution continues.” — Tun Khin, President, BROUK

Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls: Emerging patterns of abuse in Arakan Army-controlled areas of Rakhine State - Myanmar

“The UN High Commissioner for Refugees recently described the Andaman Sea as an “unmarked grave” for Rohingya refugees.” — UN High Commissioner for Refugees

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BROUK has asked the Argentine court investigating the Rohingya genocide to include Arakan Army atrocities. It also calls for coordinated sanctions, expanded humanitarian access in Rakhine, and stronger accountability via the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court and universal-jurisdiction investigations.

Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Women and Girls: Emerging patterns of abuse in Arakan Army-controlled areas of Rakhine State - MyanmarTRT WorldRohingya Women Face Rising Sexual Violence Under Arakan Army in Myanmar