Due to the increasing security problem in refugee camps in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sexual assaults against women continue. While the women living in the camp stated that the gunmen abused them and sexually assaulted them, it was seen that many women hesitated to speak to the press for fear that the gunmen would retaliate.
Niyibizi Gafumberi, who is trying to continue her life under difficult conditions in the camp, announced that she was raped by gunmen while she was going to buy firewood. Stating that the attackers held a gun to his chest and then stabbed him, Gafumberi said, “My child died of starvation. "I can't afford to go and buy wood and food today," he said.
Stating that he has a problem with his foot, Gafumberi said, “My home is in Kibumba occupied by M23. I can't go home because they took everything. "I'm sick, I only have $20 and clothes left," she said.
“Victims do not report for fear of stigma, fear, retaliation, rejection by society and family”
Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, who is tasked with investigating sexual violence in conflicts, said that she met with the regional governor about sexual assault cases in refugee camps and met with displaced women and girls who were victims of sexual violence in Goma. “Therefore, I conveyed my concerns and the state's responsibilities, and particularly the importance of securing the displaced, to the governor,” Patten said. He reassured me by sharing with me the measures currently in place and the challenges he is facing.”
Stating that they will work together with both the state government and the central government to end sexual assault cases, Patten said, “There is a lot of work to be done. "To secure the camp but also to provide emergency and adequate assistance to victims of sexual violence."
Stating that they documented 701 cases of sexual violence last year, Patten reminded that sexual assault cases are not exclusive to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and that most of the victims do not report them for fear of stigma, fear, reprisal, rejection by society and family.
At least 700 cases of sexual assault occurred in refugee camps
At least 700 cases of sexual assault have been recorded in refugee camps near the city of Goma, in the eastern state of North Kivu. It was stated that most of the women in the camps, where approximately 600,000 people live, were attacked when they left the camps to buy food or firewood.
