Abstract:
Ms. Abdelkader is the U.S. Representative to the Advisory Panel of Experts on Freedom of
Religion or Belief at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. She is the recipient of an
invitation-only Speaker and Specialist grant from the U.S. Department of State in gender, human rights,
and Islam. She also currently chairs the American Bar Association’s Section of Individual Rights and
Responsibilities Committee on National Security and Civil Liberties.
Abstract: Since the end of its military rule in 2011, the international community
has rewarded Myanmar for perceived political and economic reforms. Still, Burma’s
transition to democratic governance is beset by an unfortunate human rights record and
marred by state-sanctioned violence against members of its minority Rohingya Muslim
population. This article explores the conflict’s impact upon Muslim women and children.
It argues that the group is experiencing human rights violations that are specific to its
identity and have yet to be adequately recognized and addressed. These violations
emanate from discriminatory population control regulations, gender based violence,
human trafficking, hard labor, and educational inequality. Such a perspective has not yet
been examined in legal scholarship and discourse. This article further argues that official
Burmese1 policies and normative practices targeting the country’s Muslim population
continue to compromise Burma’s local, regional, and global security interests. To help
protect those interests and prevent further human rights violations, this article proposes a
number of related legal and policy recommendations, including: a) amending the 1982
Citizenship Act; b) engaging in public education campaigns to help dispel many of the
myths that represent causal factors in anti-Muslim violence; c) providing resources and
support for victims of gender based violence; and d) exercising increased vigilance in
identifying, investigating, and prosecuting all those who facilitate human trafficking.
