Sexual violence against refugee women

The UN foundation set up to distribute funds provided by media magnate Ted Turner has donated US $1.65 million to UNHCR for a project to combat sexual violence against refugee women and girls in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya and Tanzania, UNHCR said. A UNHCR project document received by IRIN said there was a “shocking escalation” in the use of rape as a weapon of war. Once they crossed an international border in search of safety, refugee women and girls remained at great risk of sexual and domestic violence, while conflict and the destruction of community protection mechanisms left them exposed to exploitation and abuse, the report said.

The 18-month project, to benefit some 400,000 refugees, will, among other things, support the training of police and other authorities in refugee areas to help prevent sexual violence. It will also train local health workers and counsellors to respond effectively and compassionately to survivors of sexual violence and will build the capacity of local legal communities to bring perpetrators of these crimes to trial, UNHCR said.