Ma Pu Sein's harrowing testimony at the Tribunal recounted her experiences laboring on roads in Burma, where she was forced to endure backbreaking work under the viciously watchful eye of the junta. Worked mercilessly hard during the day, nightfall brought no refuge from the junta’s wrath: the women laborers were terrorized nightly the soldiers, who raped and killed at will. After four years of laboring on roads, Ma Pu Sein was able to escape the country but was forced to leave her children behind. She has since been reunited with her two daughters, but the whereabouts of her son remain unknown. Ma Pu Sein’s story is a searing example of an all-too-common tale in Burma.

Watch a clip of Ma Pu Sein from the Nobel Women's Initiative film, "This Is My Witness".