WOMEN IN CONFLICTUAL SITUATIONS IN THE WAR-TORN DARFUR,SUDAN: AN EXPLOSITION
No Thumbnail Available
Files
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Description
Women in Africa increasingly bear greater burden of conflicts in which
they rarely contribute to the outbreak. Historically, the Geneva
Convention of 1949 and their Additional Protocol of 1977 acknowledge
women as the most vulnerable members of the population and explicitly
contain special measures to protect women during armed conflicts. Rape
and sexual violence continue at an alarming rate in the ongoing genocide
in Darfur. Rapes and other forms of sexual violence are being used as
weapons of war to humiliate, punish, control, inflict fear, and displace
women and their communities. These acts constitute grave violations of
International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, including war
crimes against humanity. It should be noted that African women face
shelling, famine, epidemics, forced displacement, detention, torture and
execution like other civilians caught up in the maelstrom of war. Mass
rapes in Darfur effectively terrorize women, break their will, and destroy
the fabric of the society. Rape also has serious economic and social
consequences in Darfurian society by making the victims ineligible for
marriage and ostracized by the community and the family members.
The economic and political implications of war are also noticeable in the way women that are internally displaced ( I D Ps) and refugees are being
forced to exchange sexual favors in desperation for goods and services by
the Sudanese security forces, including police deployed to protect them.
It is pertinent to note that documented cases of rape or sexual violence in
war time only represent the tip of the iceberg. In war and also during
peace time. the stigma associated with rape and the victim's self-blame
mean that the vast majority of cases go unreported. Therefore ,
sympathetic care and counseling for victims are essential to regain their
self-esteem, dignity, and to facilitate their reintegration into society and
family life. There should be greater recognition of the scourge of sexual
violence, as well as public condemnation, with strict enforcement of
existing national and international laws.
Keywords
HQ The family. Marriage. Woman, JA Political science (General)