A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to produce social change by helping marginalized communities to become advocates for social justice and claim their rights

Sexual Violence

Rape and other forms of sexual violence as a weapon of war is a defining characteristic of the armed conflicts in the Great Lakes Region. Sexual violence has affected tens of thousands of women in the three countries. The most commonly reported form of sexual violence in Burundi or northern Uganda is rape, and has been committed by both state and non-state actors, including law enforcement officials and military officers. In some instances many women were deliberately infected with HIV / AIDS through rape, others were forced to be wives of rebel soldiers and even today, in post-conflict Burundi, dozens of women and girls are reporting rapes and assaults every day.

Women who have been raped or subject to sexual violence experience shame and rejection by their families. The low social status of women in Burundian culture leaves them vulnerable to sexual violence, and cultural taboos discourage them from seeking help. Exposure to sexual violence compounds the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Rape of women and girls is prevalent in the home, IDP camps and in the community and the problem is widespread. 

Post-genocide Rwanda is still nursing the wounds of sexual violence. In Rwanda hundreds of women who were raped by Hutu militiamen known as the Interahamwe and soldiers of the old army Forces armees rwandaises who were infected with HIV/AIDS. The trauma that was left behind is still fresh and painful. Among abductees in Northern Uganda, child mothers experience higher rates of rejection by their families of any group. To many survivors, rape causes serious physical injuries that require long-term and complex treatment. Many survivors suffer injury to their reproductive systems and surgical reconstruction of sexual organs is a lengthy and complex procedure. 
 
The psychological consequences for survivors of sexual violence include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, shock, rage and shame, loss of self esteem, self blame, memory loss, nightmares and flashbacks, headaches, nausea, stomach pains, sleeplessness and fatigue. Many of the symptoms overlap. Mental health problems are also aggravated by the fear of being repudiated by their husband or rejected by their family and community.



Regional Research Material

• Gender-Based Violence in The Great Lakes Region: Facts and Figures

Burundi

• NGO Report on Violence Against Women in Burundi: CEDAW 2008

• Creating Safe Spaces: Lessons from South Africa and Burundi. By Christine Lebrun and Katharine Derderian.

Rwanda

• The Right to Survive: Sexual Violence, Women and HIV/AIDS

Uganda

• Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Pabbo Camp, Gulu District, Northern Uganda