Let's Not Turn Our Backs on Darfur as Gender-Based Violence Destroys Lives

On December 10th - Human Rights Day - people around the world joined together to denounce the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war in Darfur and to showed solidarity with the women and girls affected.

The rape and sexual assault of women and girls, including girls as young as eight, is widespread in Darfur. Where committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, rape constitutes a crime against humanity.

While African Union peacekeepers had taken some initial steps to address the situation, those efforts have been reduced in recent months, leading to increased attacks. AMIS (African Union Mission in Sudan) patrols designed to keep civilians safe when they venture outside the camps in search of firewood have been called off in many areas, leaving families with an impossible choice; whether to send out fathers and sons who might be killed, or mothers and daughters who might be raped or sexually assaulted.

In order to immediately address this unacceptable situation we must urge the government to:

• Work with the African Union and its member states to ensure that protecting women from rape and sexual assault is a priority for AMIS. The African Union should demonstrate that commitment by immediately increasing the number of female AMIS police officers and translators in Darfur and by extending firewood patrols around all IDP camps.
• Ensure that AMIS has the financial support, material resources, and expert operational advisors it needs to implement its mandate to protect civilians.
• Push for effective peacekeeping through the rapid deployment a UN-led force mandated to protect civilians with the expertise and the capacity to protect women from violence, including through monitoring and investigating allegations of abuse.
• Demand all armed groups stop these attacks, in particular the Government sponsored Janjaweed militia who have been responsible for a large number of the attacks in Darfur and Eastern Chad.
• Ensure that the Government of Sudan allows humanitarian organisations to have free and unfettered access to help victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence throughout Darfur.
• Ensure that the Government of Sudan hold perpetrators of rape and sexual assault accountable for their crimes

Britain has a key role to play in ending the atrocities in Darfur, and the MU urges the government to give consideration to encouraging lasting peace in Sudan.

Please pray for:

• For lasting peace and justice in Sudan
• For safety and security for the people of Sudan
• For aid to reach those who need it most

Contact Marketing for more information or take a look at www.globefordarfur.org