Thousands of Rohingya began flooding into Bangladesh from Myanmar in 2017 following the Myanmar government’s scorched earth policy that has resulted in what is rightfully called “ethnic cleansing” despite the government’s best efforts in denial.

Stateless and helpless, the Rohingya refugees flee from their lands in the Rakhine State with just their lives in their hands. For some women, it’s not just their own lives that bound to them. Rape has been used as a weapon of psychological warfare since time immemorial. The Burmese military has used rape and sexual violence against women and girls on a mass scale. Victims were severely injured before and during rape, often marked by deep bites. They suffered serious injuries to reproductive organs, including from rape with knives and sticks. Many victims were killed or died from injuries. Survivors displayed signs of deep trauma and face immense stigma in their community.

The victims of rape crossing the borders often carry the child of their rapists and this puts them in an even more unfortunate situation. It was not enough that they were raped and tortured and made to see their family being murdered right in front of their eyes. The Rohingya often see rape as shameful and these women who have already lost everything, experience even more loss as they become at risk of being ostracized by their own community.

Aid workers have been struggling to confirm the number of pregnancies resulting from rape. For many of the mothers, the pregnancy is a reminder of the horrors they faced and how they are the victims even among the victims.