Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what measures are in place to provide support and treatment to Rohingya women and children who are victims of or witness to sexual violence.

The British Government is funding the provision of medical services, counselling and psychological support to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh who have either witnessed or are survivors of sexual violence themselves. This support is being delivered through UN agencies and the NGO Action Against Hunger. The UK is also supporting UNICEF initiatives that help survivors of gender-based violence identify and access the support they need, and create 30 child-friendly spaces in the refugee camps. The UK is also funding the deployment of an official to coordinate the UN gender-based violence response in Cox's Bazar, and seeking ways to expand the gender-based violence response in coordination with aid agencies and other partners.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also sent two Deployable Civilian Experts to Bangladesh on 14 November, with support from the cross-Whitehall Stabilisation Unit. They will carry out an assessment of the extent of reported sexual violence, the current response to the needs of victims of gender based violence in Bangladesh, and identify gaps in service provision and provide recommendations for the UK. They will also conduct a thorough review of the investigation and documentation of sexual violence, through use of the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict and make recommendations on possible UK support in this area.

In Burma the UK continues to press for greater humanitarian access to Northern Rakhine​.​​​