Sexual and gender-based violence in Myanmar and the gendered impact of its ethnic conflicts in English accountable. Myanmar’s top two military officials remain in their positions of power despite the Mission’s call for them to be investigated and, if appropriate, prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.5 16. For these reasons, the Mission decided to prepare a thematic report that brings together and analyses all the information it has gathered on the topic of sexual and genderbased violence and the gendered impact of Myanmar’s ethnic conflicts. In doing so, the Mission has deepened and updated its findings in this area, including by expanding its investigations into the situation of ethnic men, boys and transgender people as well as examining further the consequences of sexual and gender-based violence on Myanmar’s ethnic communities. The Mission collected new information about alleged perpetrators, not included in the original list of six named individuals in its previous report. 6 The Mission has added these alleged perpetrators to a confidential list of perpetrators that will be shared with the Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. III. Mandate, methodology and legal framework A. Mandate 17. The Mission derives its mandate from Human Rights Council resolution 34/22 and its extension pursuant to Council resolution 39/2. The Mission has fulfilled its mandate by establishing “facts and circumstances of the alleged recent human rights violations by military and security forces, and abuses, in Myanmar, in particular in Rakhine State, including but not limited to arbitrary detention, torture and inhuman treatment, rape and other forms of sexual violence, extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings, enforced disappearances, forced displacement and unlawful destruction of property, with a view to ensuring full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims”. Under its extended mandate, the Mission has undertaken additional investigations into sexual and gender-based violence and the gendered impact of Myanmar’s ethnic conflicts, including as part of its efforts to consolidate information for purposes of handing it over to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.7 18. The Mission is also aware of reports of widespread sexual and gender-based violence committed against women from other ethnic minorities in Myanmar in the past, for example in Karen State,8 but because of resource and time limitations, it has been forced to limit the scope of this report to Rakhine State and northern Myanmar since 2011. B. Methodology 19. In accordance with standard practice in investigations mandated by the Human Rights Council, the Mission has made its findings on the basis of the “reasonable grounds to conclude” standard of proof, unless otherwise specified. The Mission had already collected a vast quantity of primary and secondary information on sexual and gender-based violence during its first phase of investigations leading up to the presentation of its 2018 report. In preparing this report, the Mission relied on both previously collected information and information collected from new investigations. It interviewed victims and witnesses 5 6 7 8 A/HRC/39/CRP.2, para. 1553-1555. A/HRC/39/CRP.2, para. 1555. HRC resolution 39/2. Human Rights Watch, “They Came and Destroyed Our Village Again" The Plight of Internally Displaced Persons in Karen State (June 2005). The Karen Women’s Organization (KWO) documented 125 cases of sexual violence committed by military troops in Karen State from 1988 until 2004, half committed by high-ranking military officers, see Karen Women’s Organization, State of Terror The ongoing rape, murder, torture and forced labour suffered by women living under the Burmese Military Regime in Karen State (February 2007). 5