Darfur: Raping of Women and Children

While much of the worldwide media has lessened its attention on the on-going crisis in the western region of Sudan, those living in Darfur continue to suffer. Despite the violence, hunger, displacement of people and looting that continue to take their toll -- United Nations peacekeepers in the region say that thousands of women and little girls (some as as young as four years of age) have become victims of rape. The systematic raping of women and young girls is “the biggest issue now affecting the people of Darfur.”

Relief workers are reporting that “almost every woman living in aid camps has been raped or become a victim of gender-based violence. Many young girls, while out doing chores such as collecting firewood, are raped multiple times by militiamen, the workers say. (See http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/06/19/darfur.rape/index.html#cnnSTCVideo). They say the situation has become so bad that many women are now resigned to rape as a way of life and men are unwilling to accompany them because they fear that they will be killed if they try to defend them.

But in the midst of this crisis, one might ask: how would the outcry (or lack of it) be different if this were happening in some part of the world other than Africa? Your comments are welcomed!