CRSV: Laos during the Secret War
This case note documents the occurrence of sexual violence in violent conflict. It contains explicit mentions of different forms of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Background of the Conflict
The Laotian Civil War was waged between the Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government between May 23, 1959 and December 2, 1975. A covert site for the Vietnam War, Laos became the centre for the Secret War among the American CIA Special Activities Center, as well as Hmong and Mien veterans in the conflict. Laos became an independent member of the French Union through the Franco-Lao Treaty of Amity and Association of 1953 (Courtois, 1997). The ensuing Laotian government, however, did not include representatives from the Lao Issara anti-colonial armed nationalist movement, which resulted in rivalry among the neutralists, and the right- and left-wing leadership. Attempts made to establish coalition governments culminated in a tri-coalition. The North Vietnamese Army, in collaboration with the Communist Pathet Lao, invaded Laos in 1958 and 1959 and occupied the eastern part of the country to stage offensives. From 1961 onward, the US began to train Hmong tribesmen to disrupt North Vietnamese operations, and in 1964, the US bombed North Vietnamese supply routes. The war ended with the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao emerging victorious. Over 40,000 people died in the conflict.
Prevalence of Sexual Violence
Amnesty International (2021) found that there were many instances of sexual abuse of Hmong women from the jungle areas by both the military and police, although it is not particularly clear whether there was a pattern. It also found that along the shared border with Vietnam, there were isolated villages where women were taken to and subject to slavery-like treatment, as well as torture, cruelty, ill-treatment, and repeated rapes by law enforcement officers (Amnesty International 2021). Overall, several Hmong women were raped and subjected to sexual assault while fleeing the jungles during military operations (World Without Genocide n.d.).
Basis of the use of Sexual Violence
Although no specific patterns have been discernible in the way the sexual violence unfolded, the vulnerability of women from the Hmong community owing to their indigeneity and political affiliations appear to suggest that they may have been deliberately targeted with sexual violence and rape (Amnesty International 2021). Regardless, the prevalence of sexual violence, if not systemic, is attributable to the backdrop of impunity provided by the armed conflict and the related breakdown of the security sector (Lloyd-George 2011).
References
Amnesty International (2021). Lao People’s Democratic Republic Hiding in the jungle - Hmong under threat. https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/asa260032007en.pdf
Courtois, S. (1997). The Black Book of Communism. Harvard University Press.
Lloyd-George, W. (2011). The CIA's 'Secret War'. https://thediplomat.com/2011/02/the-cias-secret-war/
World Without Genocide (n.d.) Laos. https://worldwithoutgenocide.org/genocides-and-conflicts/laos
