20th April 2005
Rape has been recognised as a war crime and a crime against humanity by the International Criminal Court in the recent past. This is unsurprising since long before the rape of the Sabine women by the Romans, rape during war had much less to do with an uncontrollable urge to have sexual intercourse than to show the men on the opposing side who was winning the war. Having their way with the women was a real violation of the property of the losing side.
There are wars in many parts of Africa but that which is taking place in Darfur must be one of the most brutal. Huge numbers of people have been killed and others displaced from their homes and villages through fear of the same fate. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has recently issued a report drawing particular attention to the rape of women and girls there.
To quote from the report, “Women and girls in war-ravaged Darfur are continuing to suffer a high incidence of rape and sexual violence. Stories of rape survivors told to MSF are a horrific illustration of the daily reality of the ongoing violence that has displaced almost two million people in Darfur.
Between October 2004 and mid-February 2005, MSF doctors in numerous locations in South and West Darfur treated almost 500 women and girls who were raped. MSF believes that these numbers reflect only a fraction of the total number of victims because many women are reluctant to report the crime or seek treatment. Almost a third (28%) of the rape survivors who sought treatment from MSF reported that they were raped more than once, either by single or multiple assailants. In more than half the cases, the rape was accompanied by additional physical abuse. Women told MSF that they were beaten with sticks, whips or axes before, during or after the act of rape. Some of the raped women were visibly pregnant, as much as five to eight months, at the time of the assault.
The majority of survivors of rape and sexual violence tell MSF that the attacks occurred when women left the relative safety of villages and displaced camps to carry out activities indispensable of the survival of the families, such as searching for firewood or water.
81% of the 500 rape survivors treated by MSF reported being assaulted by militia or military who used their weapons to force the assault. In Darfur, as in other conflicts, rape has been a regular and deliberate tool of war. It is used to destabilise and threaten a part of the civilian population, often a particular group.
Rather than receiving appropriate medical and psychosocial care, women and child survivors of rape and sexual violence in Darfur often face rejection and stigma. In some cases, victims of rape have even been imprisoned while the perpetrators of the crime go unpunished, adding to an appalling pattern of neglect and abuse.” (The situation where the perpetrators of rape and sexual assault go on to high positions in a country without their crimes coming before a court has happened in the recent past in the Balkans).
When one remembers that as well as the acute effects of these dreadful events there is the strong possibility of infection with HIV or another sexually transmitted disease and little or no hope of treatment this appalling situation should receive much more attention. Many illiterate women know little or nothing about HIV/AIDS which may be as well in the circumstances but certainly rape by an infected man or men is a death sentence for them. An unwanted pregnancy leads to many women resorting to illegal abortions and the possibility of death again.
It appears to be very difficult to deal with the government in Sudan but voice our dismay about this dreadful situation we must. It has been suggested that UN troops should be sent into the country but the proposals by the African Union now being considered that these troups should come from African countries would be best. Such an expedition could be financed by the developed world. One would hope that we would all pay up for it, not leaving the fund under-subscribed, despite promises, as has happened in the case of Southern Sudan.
We can also urge local government and health care providers in Darfur and elsewhere as suggested by MSF, to ensure full and appropriate treatment for victims of sexual violence and to help end the stigma and rejection faced by victims of rape. The honour of the men of the family of the raped woman is frequently considered much more important than the woman’s suffering. In such circumstances women often tell no one of their ordeal fearing death or expulsion from the family home. The lack of security in Iraq at present has made this a serious problem there.
In Pakistan a woman has to produce at least four male witnesses to a rape before it is possible to prove she was raped. With a lesser number of male witnesses the incident is considered to be fornication. One can only marvel at the courage of Mukhtaran Mai who was gang raped by men of her village because it was alleged her sixteen year old brother had an affair with a woman of higher social standing.
Her rape was considered by the local council to be an appropriate punishment for his conduct. This case has been before the lower courts in Pakistan where eventually the men involved were acquitted but it has now been appealed to the Supreme Court. In peace as well as war the rape of women is used to punish men.
Senator Mary Henry, MD
