A/HRC/39/CRP.2 due to injuries sustained because of gang rape.2116 Injuries were exacerbated by lack of access to healthcare en route to Bangladesh and on arrival. The Mission received information of women and girls who died en route due to the severity of injuries and lack of medical care. 2117 There was also limited or no access to medication to prevent pregnancy or to treat sexually transmitted diseases or genital trauma. Many did not realise that they could seek medical care in Bangladesh, or feared it, due to their discriminatory experiences and the effective denial of health care to them in Myanmar or their fear of family and community shaming. 935. Many women and girls became pregnant from rape but the number is unknown. In May-June 2018, the United Nations and other organizations noted a spike in the number of pregnant women and girls in the refugee camps in Bangladesh.2118 In spite of its public dismissal of “fake rapes” following the 2016 violence, 2119 the Government of Myanmar has implicitly accepted that large numbers of rapes occurred and many babies were born as a result of the rapes. The repatriation agreement it signed with Bangladesh has a clause, section 6(v), that appears to specifically address the issue of babies born of rape: “Children born out of unwarranted incidents are to be certified by a court of Bangladesh.” 2120 936. Medical clinics reported an increased request for late term pregnancy terminations in March and April 2018, and girls aged 13 to 17 requested terminations from clinics stating that they had been raped by the Tatmadaw. 2121 Health clinics have performed terminations when requested, consistent with the laws of Bangladesh (“menstrual regulation”). Doctors and counsellors reported that, if they were unable to obtain medical terminations, women and girls have resorted to unsafe terminations. Women and girls have used locally-derived abortifacient potions or abortifacients obtained in Bangladesh, which are toxic to both the woman and the foetus.2122 937. Babies born of rape are a constant reminder to their mothers of the events endured and may be resented. Cases of infanticide and the killing of pregnant adolescent girls were reported to the Mission by counsellors in Bangladesh. 2123 Rape survivors also face stigmatisation. Many women and girls who have survived sexual violence live in fear of their husbands, family or community finding out.2124 For unmarried women, this is heightened. In general, if it is known that a girl has been subject to sexual violence, it is unlikely that she will marry. 938. The circumstances in the vast overcrowded refugee camps in southern Bangladesh mean that women and girls continue to be at risk of sexual violence and, in particular, sexual exploitation and abuse. The Mission is concerned about reports of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and abuse. Women are also reportedly facing increased levels of family violence in the camps.2125 939. Women and girls were not the sole victims and survivors of sexual violence during the “clearance operations”. The Mission received credible reports of sexual violence against 2116 2117 2118 2119 2120 2121 2122 2123 2124 2125 K-151. CI-034, QI-061. V-139, “More than 60 Rohingya babies born in Bangladesh refugee camps every day”– UNICEF, 17 May 2018. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/more-60-rohingya-babies-bornbangladesh-refugee-camps-every-day%E2%80%93-unicef. V-254, V-255. The “fake rape” charge appeared as a banner on the Facebook page of the State Counsellor’s Office (screenshot on file with the Mission). It is discussed in detail in chapter X, section B.2.a: Case study 1: the use of rape and other forms of sexual violence by the military. See also: http://www.statecounsellor.gov.mm/en/node/545. “Arrangement on return of displaced persons from Rakhine” between the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Naypyidaw, 23 November 2017). KI-129. K-124. K-124. K-124. K-124. 217