women live in constant fear of sexual violence. This is particularly because perpetrators
weaponize beauty to exert individual and collective punishment. Testimonies, in the context of
the report, also reveal in their experiences that it becomes more dangerous in already vulnerable
communities like Rohingyas. In her testimony, Rehena narrated similar motives behind the
perpetrators when a group of AA stormed her village and began forcibly identifying Rohingya
girls based on appearance. She was among several young women kidnapped that day and taken to
a remote unknown location. Rehena’s account reveals that after the assault, the perpetrators
assumed she had died and discarded her body. Her survival was the result of both chance and
extraordinary will. But survival did not bring safety. Upon her return to her community, she
experienced overwhelming sickness and severe emotional trauma. “I want to die,” she said. “I
think dying is better than surviving in this way.” Her words capture the unbearable weight of
stigma, betrayal, and ongoing psychological suffering that survivors endure, not only from the
violence itself but from the silence and rejection that follow. What distinguishes Rehena’s
testimony is not only its clarity, but the larger context or the contours around rape, especially for
Rohingya women. She was violated not simply as an individual but as a symbol of beauty and
community. The soldiers’ choice of her for rape and their stated goal of raping ‘every beautiful
Rohingya girl’ who refused to leave becomes a moment of fear for all the women around her.
➔ Patterns of Violence: Noor Banu and Other Similar Voices
In the Maung Ni Fara village, three sexual assault victims describe how an armed group, likely
members of the AA, dressed in army clothes, came into the village fully prepared. Arriving with
guns and other military attacking equipment, they stormed into homes at night. During the
searchout investigation, they asked about the male family members of the families so that they
could take them to fight the military. It was obvious that, fearing for their lives, the men would go
into hiding or flee the area so that they could not be taken away by the group. This was something
unacceptable for the forces, and as a result of this, the women would become easy targets. Noor
Banu’s experience and her encounter with a similar situation is quite illustrative. She was taken
from her home, detained in the hills, and then sexually assaulted. She was told explicitly that her
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