03/07/2007

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One of the dominant characteristics of the conflict in Darfur has been the rampant rape of women and girls. The use of rape in war is not new but the nature of the rapes in Darfur seems to be particularly focused on breaking down the Darfuri culture. Whereas in the 1994 Rwandan genocide a raped woman was more often than not killed, in 90% of the rape cases in Darfur the rapists have kept the women alive and sent them back to their community, often pregnant and scarred.

While there have been numerous efforts by the international community to assist the survivors of rape, impunity reigns in Darfur. Sudanese officials have publicly stated that they have attempted to address the needs of rape survivors in Darfur but the reality is very different. Government officials claim Sudanese law is sufficient to prevent rape and protect rape survivors by allowing access to justice, but even when witnesses are willing to come forward, there is rarely an investigation or prosecution of cases.

RI has been traveling to Darfur since 2004. We have documented the ways that international agencies can better provide services to survivors of gender-based violence. In 2004, we noted that humanitarian health-care agencies were not conducting outreach to the survivors of rape and recommended that confidentiality and outreach training be increased. Additionally, we called for more programs sensitizing the population around rape and for programs for men to help them support the women in their lives. In 2004, we found that the Sudanese law requiring women to produce a police report before receiving medical service was harming women. This law was amended in 2005 but in December 2005, RI found that it was not being implemented.

In March 2007, Refugees International will conduct an investigation of the Sudanese governments policies and procedures concerning rape, focusing on the widespread and ongoing rape occurring in Darfur.

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