Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions the Foreign Secretary has had with the Secretary of State for International Development about a co-ordinated UK response to alleged sexual violence against the Rohingya people in Burma, in the context of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.

The Government has a clear commitment to tackling sexual violence across the globe. The Foreign Secretary has directed his officials to pursue this actively in situations of conflict or violence, and to work with officials from the Department of International Development (DFID) in doing so. Foreign and Commonwealth Officials (FCO) and DFID officials have collaborated closely in the UK's response to the crisis in Rakhine, including the international response to credible allegations of sexual violence against Rohingya individuals. FCO and DFID colleagues are urgently speaking with humanitarian organisations and UN agencies, including the UN Secretary General's Special Representative, to assess the level of support being provided for survivors of sexual violence currently in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The Foreign Secretary is keen to assess whether the UK's response is supportive of the immediate medical and psycho-social services being provided and to ensure appropriate documentation can be carried out.