They fled war in Sudan. Now, women in refugee camps say they're being forced to have sex to survive

Published On : 2024-11-16T12:52:17+0530 [ IST ] | Author : Mayur_Tembhare
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People cross into Chad from Sudan in Adre, Chad Sunday October 6 2024. (AP)Adre (Chad), Nov 16 (AP) The 27-year-old thought she had left behind the horrors of Sudan's war: the bodies she ran over while fleeing

"The children were crying. We ran out of food," she said of her four other children. "He abused my situation."

Some Sudanese women and girls assert that men including those meant to protect them such as humanitarian workers and local security forces have sexually exploited them in Chad's displacement sites offering money, easier access to assistance and jobs. Such sexual exploitation in Cha

Hundreds of thousands of people, most of them women, have flown into Chad to escape Sudan's civil war which has killed over 20,000 people. Aid groups struggle to support them in growing displacement sites.

Three women spoke with the AP in the town of Adre near the Sudanese border. A Sudanese psychologist shared the accounts of seven other women and girls who either refused to speak directly with a reporter or were no longer in contact with

Daral-SalamOmar said all seven told her they went along with the offers of benefits in exchange for sex out of necessity. Some sought her help because they became pregnant and couldn't seek an abortion at a clinic for fear of being shunned

They were psychologically destroyed. Imagine a woman getting pregnant without a husband in this situation," Omar said.

Aid groups have long struggled to combat the issue citing a lack of reporting by women, not enough funds to respond and a focus on first providing basic necessities.

UN refugee agency said it doesn't publish data on cases citing confidentiality and safety of victims.

People seeking protection should never have to make choices driven by survival, experts said. Nidhi Kapur who works on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse in emergency contexts said exploitation represents a deep failure by the aid

Yewande Odia the UN Population Fund representative in Chad said sexual exploitation is a serious violation. UN agencies said displacement camps have "safe spaces" where women can gather along with awareness sessions a free hotline and feedback boxes to report abuse anonymous

Many of the Sudanese women said they weren't aware of the hotline and some said using the boxes would draw unwanted attention.

The Sudanese woman with the newborn said she was afraid to report the aid worker for fear he'd turn her in to police.

She said she approached the aid worker after searching for jobs to buy basic necessities like soap. She asked him for money. He said he would give her cash but only in exchange for sex.

They slept together for months and he paid the equivalent of about USD 12 each time. After she had the baby he gave her a one-time payment of approximately USD 65 but denied it was his

The man was a Sudanese labourer for DoctorsWithout Borders known by its French acronym MSF.

Two other Sudanese women said Chadian men working at MSF sites - one wearing MSF clothing - solicited them after they applied for work with the organisation. The men took their phone numbers and repeatedly called saying they would give them jobs for sex

MSF's secretary general Christopher Lockyear said the organization was not aware of the allegations and wanted to investigate.

MSF would not say how many such cases had been reported among Sudanese refugees in Chad. Last year out of 714 complaints made about MSF staff behaviour where it works globally 264 were confirmed to be cases of abuse or inappropriate behavior including sexual exploitation

Lockyear said MSF is creating a pool of investigators at the global level to enhance its ability to pursue allegations.

One woman told the AP that a man with another aid group also exploited her but she was unable to identify the organisation. Omar said several women told her they were exploited by aid workers local and international.

Another woman who alleged she was approached after seeking work with MSF said she also refused a local policeman who approached her and promised an extra food ration card if she went to his house.

Ali Mahamat Sebey the head of Adre said police are not allowed inside the camps and asserted that allegations against them of exploitation were false.

The women said they just want to feel safe adding that access to jobs would lessen their vulnerability.

After most of her family was killed or abducted in Sudan's Darfur region last year one 19-year-old girl sought refuge in Chad. She didn't have enough money to support the nieces and nephews in her care. She got a job in a restaurant in the camp but when she asked her Sudanese boss for a raise

The money he paid was more than six times her salary but when she got pregnant with his child the man fled. She rubbed her growing belly.

"If we had enough we wouldn't have to go out and lose our dignity," she said.

Source : Reporters From Sunrise Chronicles

Tags : Crossing , Chadian , Both , One , Darfur , She , saidanother aid group also exploited , Chad , United Nations Population , Yet ,

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