Essay About Rape Law In Myanmar

Review on Rape Law in Myanmar

Background

In Myanmar, nearly 700 rape cases are annually reported. However, still there are many more cases are unreported, due to blaming from the culture, victims are silenced. Myanmar is practicing patriarchal cultural, most of the women rape victims are refused to speak, as they are worrying about humiliating their families.

Myanmar has multiple legal systems with several sources of law, however, most of the laws are still in use Penal Code 1861 which was established by British Colonial time. Myanmar 's Rape Laws are derived from Penal Code 1861.

Myanmar signed The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1997. CEDAW needs States Parties to proceed comprehensive actions to address women 's equality rights in civil, political, economic, social and cultural domains.

By looking Myanmar 's rape laws which were drawn from a mix of colonial and traditional sources, included patriarchal attitudes and socially built concepts about gender that tell women as a need to protect because they are weaker and less capable than men. Accordingly, many of Myanmar laws are not well-matched with CEDAW. Moreover, the law does not sufficiently promote and protect women 's rights to basic equality.

Myanmar was invited to become a member of The Association of Southeast Asian

As accordance the chapter 3, section 1 of Sexual Assaults, under article 239, the definition of rape mentions that any act of sexual penetration with a sexual organ or an object committed against another person of either sex by violence, coercion, threat or by being opportunistic, with the use or threatened use of a weapon, use of narcotic or weaken the victim, abusing the authority in him or her by his or duties, the age of sexual majority is 15 years of age, these will punishable by imprisonment from five to ten years or seven to 15