UK to Grant Extra Support for Sexual Violence Victims in Myanmar - Hunt

14:22 GMT, 19 September 2018

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United Kingdom will provide additional support for the Rohingya, residing in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine, who have suffered sexual violence at the hands of the country's military, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Wednesday.

Sputnik

"We have already provided counseling and psychological support to more than 10,000 women and deployed mid-wives to help provide care to over 53,000 women. Together with our international partners, we will increase our support for those who have been a victim of these heinous acts," Hunt said during the first day of his working visit to Myanmar, as quoted on the government's official website.

Hunt added that more experts of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative would be sent to Myanmar, while methods of evidence gathering and coordination mechanism would be improved.

The foreign secretary further stressed that his team was also "exploring options to increase psychosocial support."

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During his working visit to Myanmar, Hunt will hold a meeting with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, visit Rakhine, and communicate with human rights activists from the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners.

On August 25 in 2017, around 700,000 Rohingya Muslims left Myanmar after the country's authorities launched an offensive in the Rakhine state in response to an attack by Rohingya insurgents on security posts in the area.

Since then, Rohingya people have been suffering from brutal atrocities, including mass killings and sexual violence. The situation also prompted an acute humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh.