Humanitarian crisis in North Kivu: MSF reveals alarming number of women raped in displaced persons camps
In an alarming report made public this Thursday, the international NGO Médecins sans frontières (MSF) reveals that more than 1,500 women were raped in July in the displaced sites in Nyiragongo and in the west of the city of Goma, in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the report, the situation is becoming increasingly worrying for displaced people in the Goma region, who are receiving less and less food aid and basic necessities. Due to this shortage, they are forced to put themselves in danger to obtain the resources necessary for their survival. This further exposes them to situations of extreme vulnerability.
Every day, nearly 70 women victims of sexual assault present themselves in the mobile structures set up by MSF in the Lushagala, Bulengo, Elohim, Shabindu, Rusayo and Kanyaruchinya camps. This sexual violence is increasingly violent and often occurs during women’s movements outside the camps, when they go to forested areas to collect firewood or to resell it. In the absence of adequate protection, they easily become targets for attackers.
Rasmane Kabore, MSF head of mission in Goma, calls for urgent mobilization to protect displaced women and asks other humanitarian organizations and the government to redouble their efforts to sustainably improve their living conditions.
This situation highlights the urgency of a strengthened humanitarian response in the region, to provide adequate food assistance, safe shelter and increased protection to displaced women. It is also crucial to strengthen mechanisms for preventing and prosecuting the perpetrators of this violence.
The situation in North Kivu is a problem that cannot be ignored. It is essential to make the voices of these women victims of violence heard and to work together to end this humanitarian crisis which affects many vulnerable communities. Displaced women deserve a future where they can live in safety, with dignity and respect. It’s time to act.
Sources:
– MSF. (2023, September 17). MSF report: More than 1,500 women raped in displaced sites in North Kivu in July. Retrieved from https://www.msf.fr/actualites/rapport-msf-plus-1500-femmes-violees-sites-deplaces-nord-kivu-july
– Fatshimetrie.org. (2023, September 17). Humanitarian crisis in North Kivu: An alarming MSF report reveals a high number of women raped in displaced persons camps. Retrieved from [article link]
– Independent Congo. (2023, September 17). Democratic Republic of Congo: More than 1,500 women raped in displaced sites in July, according to MSF. Retrieved from [article link]