Then there’s the risk of sexually transmitted infections like HIV/Aids. Girl victims can face immense stigma because of the cultural significance of losing one’s virginity. Rape and sexual violence are often designed to humiliate victims and spread fear amongst communities. Perpetrators can be military officers, militants, civilians or workers in displacement camps. The UN estimates that in conflict zones, for every one rape that is reported, between 10 and 20 rapes are not. Rape and sexual violence often go unreported as a result. That's because conflict affects the work of police and legal authorities. In Yemen there has been a 70% increase in reports of sexual violence, including rape.īut no statistics or figures will ever depict the true scale of the problem. Whenever conflict erupts, sexual violence is present. The use of rape as a weapon of war against men and boys has been documented in Bosnia, Sri Lanka, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the DRC. It does not discriminate - people of every gender, age and ethnicity can be involved.Ī recent UN report found that 1,429 incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) were reported in DRC in one 12-month period.Īlthough women are disproportionately affected, men and boys are also targeted. Sexual violence in war has catastrophic consequences for children and adults. Today is the International Day to Eliminate Sexual Violence in Conflict. That shocking statistic is one reason why we're standing with the international community and survivors of sexual violence to call for an end to all sexual violence in conflict. In the next hour, 48 women will be raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
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