Thousands of protesters yesterday marched in Yangon as outrage over the alleged rape of a two-year-old spilled onto the streets following a viral online campaign in a case that has left Burmese society reeling.
The assault reportedly took place in May in the capital, Naypyidaw, but a public campaign escalated last week after the girl’s father spoke to local media, venting his anger about the inquiry’s progress.
He gave details of how his daughter had returned from nursery with injuries doctors told him were the result of rape.
Photo: AFP
In Yangon yesterday, demonstrators descended on the police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the city’s north.
Many dressed in white, carrying banners in Burmese and English, and chanting for “justice” for the girl as well as better security for the nation’s children.
“As a mother of a daughter, I came here to call for the truth,” 31-year-old Ei Mon Ko told reporters.
“We need an explanation that people can accept and justice for the kid,” 33-year-old protest organizer Aung Htike Min said.
One man was arrested on Wednesday and charged with the attack, although there is public skepticism over whether the authorities have the right person.
Deputy Police Director-General Aung Naing Thu on Friday told a news conference that police had filed a case at court against a driver at the victim’s nursery, who was in custody.
The nursery has been closed down and six other private kindergartens in Naypyidaw are temporarily shut.
The case has horrified the nation, with a Facebook campaign gathering momentum for weeks as people changed their profile photos to call for “Justice for Victoria” — a pseudonym given to the girl.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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