Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to (1) prevent sexual violence in conflict, and (2) bring perpetrators of such crimes to justice in the Kachin and Shan states of Burma.

​In September 2018 the UK co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution which established a mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of human rights violations in Burma, including Kachin and Shan states, for use in future prosecutions. The Resolution also called for Burma's Commission of Inquiry to hold to account all those responsible for crimes committed during military operations in Rakhine State, including conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence. The UK supports a range of projects in Burma to build the capability of local groups to tackle sexual violence in conflict across Burma, including an English and Burmese guide for evidence gathering up to international standards, as captured in the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict.