Citation

Moszynski P. Br. Med. J. BMJ 2005; 331(7518): 654.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bmj.331.7518.654-d

PMID

16179686

PMCID

PMC1226277

Abstract

Women and girls in Darfur are still suffering rape and other forms of sexual violence in Darfur, a new United Nations report shows. The report confirms much of the content of an earlier report by the organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres which resulted in denials from the Sudanese government and the temporary detention of its authors in May (BMJ 2005;330:1350,11 June). The "situational analysis," jointly conducted by the Unicef and the UN Population Fund, details people's perceptions of the situation and indicates that widespread incidents of sexual and physical violence are still occurring. Health problems mentioned by women were rape; malnutrition; miscarriages; irregular menstrual cycles; sexually transmitted diseases; physical injuries due to beatings; injuries sustained during flight from their enemies; and psychological disturbances, such as nightmares. The psychosocial consequences of sexual violence included shame, depression, stigma, illness, difficulty coping, and at the worst suicide.