The most effective way will be by giving the funds to the local community-based organizations working on the ground, because now there are some shelters in the big cities, but the crimes are happening in the rural areas. The people from the cities don't want to go to the rural areas because of the insecurity, and they don't speak the language, and the local people also don't understand their language. Understanding is a barrier.
I would like to share a little bit about the cases that we are facing. I would like to tell you about two cases.
One recent case was last April, a rape by the Burma army, who were coming in for offensive in Kachin State. A 17-year-old Kachin girl was raped, and she wanted to get justice and go to the courts. One of our local organizations helped. We went to the court and appealed, but they said there was no evidence. When she was raped, she didn't have a medical checkup by a doctor so she had no proof. How could she get a checkup in the very mountainous area where she was raped, where there is not even a clinic? The courts in Burma say that the application mechanism for rape cases is that as soon as you are raped, you need to go to the women and children's affairs of Myanmar. They operate in the city area, but people are raped in the rural areas. Only the organizations that are really working with civil society on the ground can help take care of this.
In another case in northern Shan State, in Kutkai, a girl was gang-raped. She really wanted to get justice and she went to the court. She claimed that she was raped by two soldiers, but they said, “Oh, where are they? You didn't catch them, so why would we help you? You are embarrassing us. We will sue you.” She was so embarrassed and said, “Why would I tell you that I was raped? In our culture, we are so embarrassed, and I am so shy about the rape. Why would I say that I was raped if I was not?” Now the courts, the soldiers, the police are saying, “No, you are accusing us, so don't come again or we will sue you.”
Many cases, not only rape cases but other human rights violation cases, are happening like this. We cannot even think about going to the courts and the police, because it's hurting people twice, in many ways, so we are hiding in our communities and just sobbing like that.