IT’S ALWAYS HER FAULT Sexual Violence in Sudan
IT’S ALWAYS HER FAULT 1 A report by Strategic Initiative for women in the hornin of Africa Sexual Violence Sudan
In May 2014, a 47 year old woman living on the outskirts south of Khartoum walked into a police station in tears, angry and shivering. She insisted on speaking to the Police General in private. The General did not care; he did not dismiss the people in the room and the corridors, thus forcing her to speak in front of everyone. The woman’s husband is a migrant worker in Saudi while she stays in Sudan minding their children. One day while her children were at school, a male neighbor jumped the short dividing wall and raped her. Once she told her story, the Police General responded insulting her and mocking her age and telling her “look how old you are and you are telling me you have been raped. Clearly, you have had sex many times in your life.” The woman was kicked out of the police station with no remedy or access to justice.
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IT’S ALWAYS HER FAULT
Sexual Violence in Sudan
Foreword
S
exual violence against women in Sudan is endemic. Women are at risk of sexual violence in their homes, at work, in the streets, and in the context of the ongoing conflicts. Strategic and opportunistic cases of sexual violence are widespread; used both as a weapon of war to ethnically target and silence communities, and accepted in society as an unavoidable consequence of women’s immoral conduct and male sexuality and desire. Whilst perpetrators of sexual violence enjoy complete impunity for their crimes, survivors of sexual violence face criminal charges for adultery, forced marriage and being ostracized by their communities. The criminalization of women is institutionalized by the Sudanese legal system, which propagates a restrictive militant Salafi-based theology that seeks to exclude women from the public sphere. Survivors of sexual violence who report their case may be charged with adultery(Zina) under the 1991 Sudanese Criminal Act, and receive corporal punishment or the death penalty through stoning instead of justice. The harmful cultural beliefs that tie sexual violence to perceived immorality are widespread, extending even to civil society organizations who work for women’s rights. It is imperative that these beliefs are challenged so that women can access essential medical and psychosocial services, instead of facing further victimization both at law and by service providers. In the context of Sudan’s civil conflicts, sexual violence is not only a result of conflict but has been identified as a driver of the conflicts. Addressing impunity, and increasing access to justice for survivors of sexual violence, must be an integral part of peace building efforts within Sudan. Throughout Sudan, women are prevented from accessing justice and essential services due to highly discriminatory legislations, and a pervasive culture of silence and stigma. A comprehensive programme of reform and action is needed in order to ensure that the government institutions, international and national stakeholders, and communities are fulfilling their obligations to both protect and offer redress to survivors of sexual violence in Sudan.
Hala Al-Karib Regional Director SIHA Network
IT’S ALWAYS HER FAULT
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Sexual Violence in Sudan