Posts tagged rape

Rape is a crime that affects many aspects of human life; it is a medical emergency, it is a psychological trauma and it has deep consequences on both family and societal level. It is of utmost importance that survivors of rape have access to immediate medical and psychological care, and also for the sake of preventing sexual violence altogether in a long-term perspective it is important that women’s rights in general are improved.
MSF Mental Health Officer, Minja, reflects on the horrors of gang rape. Her main role is providing mental health care and psychological support for victims of family and sexual violence, mainly with female patients in Papua New Guinea. Please leave your questions and comments for Minja below her blog post.
All parties to the conflict must pay greater attention to this problem of rape. Given the frequency of sexual attacks, rape has become commonplace. The individuals responsible act with impunity and are rarely punished. At the same time, very few victims file charges because they are afraid of reprisals.
Thierry Goffeau, MSF head of mission in Goma, on the high levels of sexual violence in Goma camps.
MSF in Tari provides medical and psychological help for persons who have survived rape. Rape is a crime that affects many aspects of human life; it is a medical emergency, it is a psychological trauma and it has deep consequences on both family and societal level.
Minja is a mental health officer working with MSF on psychological support for victims of family and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea. Please leave your questions and comments for Minja below her blog post.
Rape was not made a criminal offence in Haiti until 2005. Violence against women was a problem in Haiti long before the earthquake, but the dangers for women have only been heightened in the earthquake’s aftermath. Most rape victims seen by MSF live in the insecure areas around Martissant in the south of Port-au-Prince, including Fontamara and Bolosse, where rape at gunpoint is a common occurrence. In 2010, 150 rapes were reported in Martissant’s emergency health centre. However this figure does not show the full picture, as victims of sexual and domestic violence are often reluctant to seek treatment or report the crime for fear of reprisals. MSF organises awareness campaigns in slum areas of the city, emphasising confidentially and the need to seek treatment for sexual violence within 72 hours. In October 2010, MSF increased its capacity to treat victims of sexual violence in Haiti’s capital, offering comprehensive psychological and medical treatment. Urban Survivors is a multimedia project by Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in collaboration with the NOOR photo agency and Darjeeling Productions, highlighting the critical humanitarian and medical needs that exist in slums the world over. Photo: © Jon Lowenstein/NOOR

Rape was not made a criminal offence in Haiti until 2005. Violence against women was a problem in Haiti long before the earthquake, but the dangers for women have only been heightened in the earthquake’s aftermath. Most rape victims seen by MSF live in the insecure areas around Martissant in the south of Port-au-Prince, including Fontamara and Bolosse, where rape at gunpoint is a common occurrence.

In 2010, 150 rapes were reported in Martissant’s emergency health centre. However this figure does not show the full picture, as victims of sexual and domestic violence are often reluctant to seek treatment or report the crime for fear of reprisals. MSF organises awareness campaigns in slum areas of the city, emphasising confidentially and the need to seek treatment for sexual violence within 72 hours. In October 2010, MSF increased its capacity to treat victims of sexual violence in Haiti’s capital, offering comprehensive psychological and medical treatment.

Urban Survivors is a multimedia project by Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in collaboration with the NOOR photo agency and Darjeeling Productions, highlighting the critical humanitarian and medical needs that exist in slums the world over.

Photo: © Jon Lowenstein/NOOR

We are extremely concerned about the fate of civilians in this area—normal people who have nothing to do with the conflict and who bear the brunt of a recent increase in violence and insecurity in this part of eastern DRC.
Annemarie Loof, MSF head of mission in South Kivu, on the multiple instances of mass rape that occurred between January 19 and 21 in South Kivu Province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Learn more.