A Rohingya girl has spoken of her ordeal after she was sold as a bride by traffickers when she was 12-years-old.

Rubil Hasna, now 13-years-old, managed to escape her abusive husband after 8 months.

A United Nations official has claimed that Myanmar is seeking the “ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya” from its territory. 

Even though it has been home for many generations of Rohingya Muslims, they are considered by many in the country as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and have thus fallen victim to violent attacks. 

Over the past two months, an estimated 10,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh. According to Amnesty International, “Myanmar’s security forces, led by the military” are “torching hundreds of homes.”

En route to Malaysia with her family, Rubil was separated from her family. This meant that the trafficker could not be paid by her father.

Rubil was abruptly told by the traffickers, ‘Your father isn’t coming. It’s time for you to get married. I have to sell you.’ 

The trafficker sold her to the first man who paid for her although Rubil did not know what the price was.

Rubil lived with her husband for 8 months during which she endured constant abuse.

“I was very scared. Why did nobody help me? Where was everyone? I am very sad. I don’t want to go back to him.”

Rubil managed to run away, although she says there were other girls like her who were also sold to men.

Shareefa, a voluntary worker with Our Vision who helped facilitate Rubil’s escape said, “This kind of case is happening a lot. Rubil is lucky that she was rescued. 

“There are many more women and children who are forced into the sex trade or to beg.

“There are women whose husbands have beaten them so badly. The men say that they bought them so they are their objects.

“I have seen women with their children sent to the streets to beg.

“We are trying to provide a safe place for these women to live where they can learn skills, earn their own money so they are not dependent on their abusive husbands.

“We need help. The world knows the problems but it is silent.”

Ahmed Ali, who travelled from the UK to Bangladesh and Malaysia with UNITE 4 HUMANITY, a UK based registered charity working with the Rohingya Refugees said, “This is not an isolated case. This is happening to thousands of girls. Rubil is one of the lucky ones. She escaped and was reunited with her family with the help of sister Shareefa.

“But this is happening too much to the Burmese women.

“To be going from a horrific place of torture, you think you are escaping to a safe haven, but then to be sold off to a stranger, to be used and abused, it’s sickening.
“Through UNITE 4 HUMANITY we are trying to set up workshops, a support centre and a women's refuge and many other things to support the victims. 

“What they have endured is heart breaking but we need to make a positive difference to their lives.

“It is donations from the public that will help us do that.”

To assist the charity click here