Women call for end to systematic rape in Darfur

Displaced women in camps across Darfur have expressed their anger at the recent escalation of rapes carried out by militias loyal to the Sudanese government. Already vulnerable girls and women are repeatedly attacked when they venture out of the camps to collect firewood or water needed for everyday chores such as cooking and washing. Young girls are particularly targeted whether alone or traveling in groups. The perpetrators are rarely caught even if they are reported to the police. The female activists called to stop these crimes of sexual violence against displaced women and for young girls to stop going outside of the camps at this particular time. They also called for the UN and relevant human rights organisations and bodies to move to lobby the authorities responsible to stop the systematic rapes which are terrorising women all over Darfur. Three women raped in Korma In North Darfur, activists in Korma which this week witnessed three separate cases of rape urged the UN to intervene to stop the attacks in the region. They said these women were driven out of their villages to find security and protection in the camps only to be continually terrorised by those supposed to protect them. The women also said the government is aware of the attacks but purposely turning a blind eye to them.