Family members of the victim have called for harsh action against the rapist of a teenage girl who suffers from hearing and speech impairment, and is unable to walk.

The incident occured in Minbya Township’ Kywekyo village on August 11, when the girl was raped by a teenage neighbour, according to the victim’s sister.

“That day, my mother went to the farm, and when I went out to send meals to the village monastery, my sister was left alone at the house. I saw blood at her sexual organ when I returned.

I asked a nurse from the village to check and she found semen in her organ,” she said.

The rapist was identified as a 15-year-old nextdoor neighbour of the victim. He will be tried under the parallel judicial system set up by the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) in Arakan State.

“That day, the rapist left footprints. The officials from the [ULA] judicial department arrived and matched the footprints against the suspect’s. His [the teenage neighbour’s] footprints matched.

We want harsh punishment imposed on him. What he deserves is a death sentence,” the victim’s sister said.

DMG was unable to contact ULA/AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha regarding the case. The teenage suspect previously attempted to rape a 6-year-old girl from the same village, according to village administrator U Shwe Thein.

“At the time, the family members of the girl did not open a case as it was just an attempted rape,” said the administrator.

Women’s rights advocate Ma Khin Myint Zaw said the rape “is the result of weakening rule of law and growing insecurity.”  She added: “Physically impaired young women and girls from displacement camps are vulnerable.”

The Legal Clinic Myanmar’s Arakan State branch said it had received 235 cases of rights violations against women so far this year, with just 27 of those cases having been resolved to date.