Barriers To Justice For Rape Survivors in Sudan

This past weekend I attended and spoke at the Pledge 2 Protect Conference in Washington, DC, which served to organize and educate young people about the realities of genocide around the world. One of the panels I attended was called "Wars Against Women and the Pursuit of Peace: The Case of Darfur" which outlined, among other things, the incredibly unjust system in Sudan for rape survivors.

Despite the fact that rape has now been determined a "crime against humanity" and a "war crime" by The Hague, there is a complete inability for the Sudanese to deal with rape and domestic violence on a domestic level.

Just so we all understand how difficult a situation it is for women in Sudan, here are a few of the barriers to justice they face if raped:

• In Sudan, as in many countries, it is considered a social taboo to report rape.
• Often, male leaders will say to women who come forward that "You can't report this."
• There is very little trust in police and often they can be perpetrators of rape as well.
• There often isn't accessible transportation to get to justice. If the crime happens in a village and a hospital or police station is far away, it could take days to get to the proper authorities.
• And again, the police often aren't helpful and instead they will harass and intimidate survivors.
• Rape survivors need to present a medical evidence form filled out by a doctor to a court in order for a rape to be considered legitimate. However, they have to get this form from police, which as you read above, can be the perpetrators. Women often can't get the form, or the doctor doesn't properly fill it out and therefore the court will toss the case out.
• Legal immunity protects anyone who works in government from prosecution. In order to investigate a government official, you have to request an exemption from immunity from the government. Often, the prosecutors never hear back from the government once this request is submitted.

Perhaps the most problematic issue I see is that rape is connected to the laws against adultery in Sudan. In order to be accused of adultery, it takes the four men to serve as witnesses. So guess what happens? Instead of getting justice for being raped, often the women are accused as adulterers. Additionally, if a girl is pregnant from the rape of another man and she is married, it is also considered adultery. And the punishment for adultery is none other, but death.

Finally, the government of Sudan has pursued a policy of complete denial when it comes to the mass rape in the country. Just last year, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir said on camera that "It is not in Sudanese culture to rape" and that "no mass rape has occurred." It has been well documented that mass rape is used as weapon of war in the genocide that continues to occur in Darfur.

I know these realities are difficult to read, but we cannot be ignorant to the incredible injustice happening on our planet. And rape is not the only atrocity happening in Darfur, but it is one that is severely affecting the female population there.

I will say that there is hope. After realizing that 80% of the STAND participants are young women in high school and college, I do believe that someday the situations like those in Sudan will cease to exist and real accountable leadership will take over.

Teach justice young.

Photo: hdptcar on Flickr