Fleeing from war-torn Sudan to Chad, many young women are susceptible to sexual abuse. One young woman speaks out about her experiences with being stigmatized by her rape.

Many refugees from Darfur cross the border into Chad seeking shelter from war-torn Sudan. But often they find themselves in an equally hostile setting.

Rape occurs in the refugee camps or at the hands of family members, other refugees, and even teachers or staff of humanitarian organizations. In addition to the physical and emotional trauma, survivors faces stigma associate, as rape victims are often seen, unfairly, as complicit in their own abuse.

Fatimé’s story

Take the case of Fatimé Ismaïl Moussa, a seventeen-year-old living in Chad.  Fatimé was a victim both of rape and of the strong societal stigma against sexual assault victims.

She and her family left the Sudan in 2001 when she was nine for Chad. They settled just outside of the city of Abeche, which in 2006 was the site of fighting when rebel groups attempting to depose the president.

Fatimé married so young that her mother decided to keep her at home for five years until she joined her husband. Soon after, her husband left to find work in the capital city. During his absence, her uncle tried to sexually abuse her. When she attempted to defend herself by bludgeoning him with a sharp iron, he was killed and she and her entire family were jailed.

Imprisoned and violated

Her family was released after they swore on the Koran to prove their innocence. Fatimé, however, remained in jail for over a year and a half, where she was raped again. She was put on trial and given a five-year suspended sentence, as well as a fine of 250,000 francs (11,000 USD).

Fatimé was victimized, both by her uncle and by the system. She discusses her experiences after being imprisoned:

Throughout my imprisonment at the Chef de Canton’s [the traditional ruler of the district] his bodyguard often used to come and rape me in my room, with his gun to scare me. As a result, I found myself with an unwanted pregnancy; I am in the ninth month of this pregnancy right now. When this news reached my husband, he divorced me, to keep to the precepts of the Koran, he argued.

After she was released from jail, her mother and the Social Welfare officials took Fatima to live with her maternal uncle. When they arrived, however, he and his entire family abandoned her and her mother.

The government ignores the problem

That Fatimé was unable to seek justice for the crimes committed against her and that she was alienated both from her family and husband, while tragic, is typical. Punishing those who commit violent acts against women and girls is not considered a high priority by local government or leaders, even when the perpetrator is known in both Chad and the Sudan. The president of Sudan Omar al-Bashir in 2007 remarked in an interview with NBC in March: “”It is not in the Sudanese culture or people of Darfur to rape. It doesn’t exist. We don’t have it.”

Due to the humanitarian work of Social Welfare officials and a MINURCAT (United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad), she found herself living in a kindergarten classroom. “I do not know what the future holds in store for me,” she says.

Women in Fatimé’s position also face the added risk of birth complications. According to an Amnesty International report on rape:

Women who have become pregnant as a result of rape often suffer complications before, during and after giving birth, because of the physical injuries resulting from assault. When giving birth, women who have been raped are prone to the problem of fistula and lose control of the bladder or bowel functions. They become isolated as a result of their incontinence.

Working to improve the situation

Fatimé’s story needs to be told. Though the situation is improving, there are still many more like her whose stories are never heard. Fatimé is a victim on two levels: she was sexually victimized and she was stigmatized and punished by her society. UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is working with governments and other organizations to ensure that girls and women like Fatimé are no longer overlooked.

The opinions expressed in this text are those of the author.