LONDON - For the Rohingya, 2012 was a very difficult year as it saw the beginning of the Rakhine State riots – a series of ethnic conflicts in that paved the way for the wave of violence that eventually led to the 2017 mass displacement of Rohingyas into Bangladesh by the military, reports the United Kingdom parliament newsletter.

Marginalisation of the Rohingyas in Myanmar (Burma) long predates 2012, but that year was perhaps the first time we were able to truly draw attention to the continued persecution our people have endured over many decades.

Some Rohingya have been in Myanmar for centuries, while others arrived more recently. Regardless of how long we have been in the country, Myanmar authorities consider us undocumented immigrants and do not recognise us as citizens or as an ethnic group.

Instead, they see us as a destabilising force and have been intent on ethnically cleansing us and erasing us from the history books by enacting repressive and discriminatory laws, such as the 1982 Citizenship Law. Unfortunately, one of the most effective ways to ethnically cleanse an entire group is the use of sexual violence to terrorise women and girls – the Myanmar military is sadly infamous for it, most notably against the Rohingya.

Since the military staged its takeover coup in February 2021, women have emerged as symbols of defiance and leaders of resistance efforts at home and abroad, but this has put a target on their backs. Despite extensive documentation, widespread outcry among the international community and an on-going case at the International Court of Justice, the military has yet to face any consequences for its actions.

It continues to employ sexual violence with impunity.