Human Rights Organization: 189 Cases of Sexual Violence Against Women in Darfur
Moatinoon
A Sudanese human rights organization announced on Friday that 189 cases of sexual violence have occurred against women, including underage girls, in various areas of the Darfur region. The organization called for an independent international investigation into these crimes.
The Arab World News Agency quoted Nahla Elkhazragi, the director of the Future Organization for Enlightenment and Feminine Development in Darfur, as saying, We have documented 103 cases of sexual violence in Nyala city, 73 in El Geneina city, and 13 in North Darfur since the beginning of the conflict.
She added that all the cases experienced sexual violence only, including underage girls, one of whom is 11 years old and another is 14 years old. They both suffered from uterine bleeding due to sexual assault.
Elkhazragi indicated that her organization is unable to provide any assistance to victims of sexual violence, except for psychological support to some survivors. She attributed this limitation to the fact that our mission is limited to monitoring and documenting cases of violence against women in all its forms in the Darfur region.
She explained, There are currently no government institutions providing assistance to victims of sexual violence, and there is no coordination with us except with the Womens Violence Prevention Unit at the Sudanese Ministry of Social Development to monitor the situation of women who have been attacked in Sudan.
She continued, In all the cases we have documented, not a single case has been reported to security and judicial authorities because since the first day of the war, all security agencies and police forces have disappeared.
Increase in Cases of Sexual Violence in Khartoum
The Unit for Combating Violence Against Women and Children, a part of the Sudanese Ministry of Social Affairs, announced in a statement on its Facebook page last Tuesday, as reported by Citizens, that it recorded four new cases of sexual violence. This brings the total documented cases for the unit in Khartoum to 60 cases. The unit also recorded 12 new cases of sexual violence in the Kalma displacement camp in South Darfur, including a case that resulted in death due to complications from the assault. Reports have been increasing about cases of sexual violence in Nyala, as well as the growing number of cases of forced disappearance of women and girls.
Last month, the unit announced that it recorded 31 cases in South Darfur state.
The Weapon of Sexual Violence
The director of the Future Organization for Enlightenment and Feminine Development in Darfur accused the conflict parties in Sudan, especially the Rapid Support Forces, of using sexual violence as a weapon in the ongoing war to achieve victories on the ground.
She stated, When any girl or woman is subjected to sexual assault, families rush to leave the area. This method is widely employed in the Darfur region to displace civilians and seize their homes and territories.
She continued, Due to the chaotic situation in Darfur, women are exploited by all parties. According to testimonies from survivors of sexual violence, most of the assaults were committed by the Rapid Support Forces and their allies, a small portion were committed by army elements, and some were carried out individually by young men.
Elkhazragi called on the United Nations and the Sudanese government to conduct an independent international investigation involving experts in sexual violence crimes in order to achieve justice for the victims.
