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The "systematic rape" of women and girls is fuelling the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa's war zones, a US-based women's group has warned in a report.
Tens of thousands of women and girls in the war zones of Sudan, Congo, and northern Uganda have been raped by fighters and left vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, the Women's Equity In Access to Care and Treatment (WE-ACTx) said.
"While the world's attention focuses on fighting the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, immediate steps can and must be taken by governments and civil societies to stop these attacks on women and girls, which increase their vulnerability to HIV," said a statement by WE-ACTx.
The group also called for help in the post-war areas of Africa, where HIV infection rates among women were rising.
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