Two children, aged 6 and 7, were repeatedly raped by three boys in their neighborhood. The children confided in friends who attend the INADESU child-friendly space, and their friends suggested that someone from INADESU should meet with them. The children explained that their mother is hardly ever at home because of the nature of her work, leaving them alone in the house. We eventually spoke with the mother to explain what was happening — and, surprisingly, she already knew, and refused to do anything about it.
Most children and young girls in our communities are raped every day, and the perpetrators go unpunished.
From our conversations with survivors and their families, these are some of the reasons they don’t speak out:
- The fear of what community members might say.
- The fear of stigmatization and isolation by community members.
- They don’t trust the justice system.
- They are not financially able to pursue a court case.
- They don’t want to ruin their image.
Rape is rampant in our communities, especially in regions affected by the armed conflict, where children and young girls are the most vulnerable to gender-based violence.
Let’s continue to raise GBV awareness to protect survivors and those exposed to GBV.
#GBVmustEnd #GBVPrevention