Alwaght- Human Rights Watch says Myanmar military forces have raped Muslim women and girls as young as 13-years-old in their recent attacks on the minority.
In a report on Monday, the group said it had documented rape, gang rape and other sexual violence against girls as young as 13 in interviews with some of the 69,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmar security forces responded to attacks on border posts four months ago.
The New York-based watchdog called on Myanmar government to punish army and police commanders if they allowed troops to rape and sexually assault women and girls of the Rohingya Muslim minority.
"The sexual violence did not appear to be random or opportunistic, but part of a coordinated and systematic attack against Rohingya, in part because of their ethnicity and religion," a Human Rights Watch (HRW) news release said.
An estimated 1.1 million Rohingya live in the western state of Rakhine, but have their movements and access to services restricted. Rohingyas are barred from citizenship in Myanmar, where many call them "Bengalis" to suggest they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Independent journalists and observers have been barred from visiting the army's operation zone in northern Rakhine since the 9 October when attacks began.
The HRW report comes just days after United Nations investigators said Myanmar's security forces had "very likely" committed crimes against humanity, posing a dilemma for de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
