The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Friday spoke out against the large number of rapes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
On average, 14 assaults have been recorded daily over the past three months. At least 200,000 cases of sexual violence have been recorded in the country in the past decade, according to UN News Centre.
– We fear that the real numbers could be much higher considering that many survivors keep silent for fear of being ostracized (udstødt) agency spokesperson Melissa Fleming told reporters in Geneva.
In many cases, women are raped when they leave their villages or camps to collect firewood, water and other items necessary for survival.
FÅ BLIVER STRAFFET
– The UNHCR is disturbed by the lack of justice and prevailing impunity (mangel på straf), Melissa Fleming said.
– With sexual violence being among the most serious of crimes, it must be treated as such, and survivors should be able to report incidents without fear of reprisal, Ms. Fleming stressed.
FLYGTNINGE SÆRLIGT UDSATTE
Over one third of the recorded cases are in the volatile North and South Kivu provinces in the country’s far east, home to 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), 100,000 of whom live in UNHCR camps.
According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), more than 8,000 women were raped by warring factions last year in the two provinces.
Although the mainly ethnic Hutu rebel militia, known as the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) – who have been operating in the Kivus since the 1994 Rwandan genocide – are thought to be responsible for most of the rapes, members of the national army are also guilty of sexual abuse in North and South Kivu provinces, according to UN experts.
UNHCR FORSØGER AT HJÆLPE
To prevent such attacks, UNHCR has distributed fuel-efficient stoves and firewood in North Kivu to some 4,200 families so that women do not need to venture beyond safe areas.
The agency is also working to follow up on rape cases by providing counseling, medical treatment and legal advice.
RETSSAGER
Last year, UNHCR gave legal assistance to 145 survivors in South Kivu.
While most of these cases are still ongoing, in 24 instances, people have been found guilty and sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years, and some have been ordered to pay compensation.
