Una verdad simulada

In Liberia, sexual predation during the civil war was “normal.” One major survey found that 75 percent of women had been raped — mostly gang-raped, with many suffering internal injuries.

The incidence of rape has dropped since then but is still numbingly high. An International Rescue Committee survey in 2007 found that about 12 percent of girls aged 17 and under acknowledged having been sexually abused in some way in the previous 18 months.

Then there is the age of the victims. Of the 275 new sexual violence cases treated between January and April by Doctors Without Borders in Liberia, 28 percent involve children aged 4 or younger, and 33 percent involve children aged 5 through 12.

The entire Nicholas Kristoff article (via Bad Astronomy) just horrifying. Yes, those are the figures from the article: 61% of the rape victims are children below the age of 12.

Sheril Krishenbaum, of Discover blog, has started an awareness campaign Silence is the Enemy. The various accounts she links to are even more horrifying.

In India, rape is often considered as someone stealing a woman’s honour. It puts the victim in a predicament: how will I live with my honour stolen away. As the Kristoff article says:

The evidence is overwhelming that the best way to deal with rape — whether in Darfur or Liberia, or even in the United States — is to demystify it, dismantle the taboos, and address it directly. That is happening.

So, please spread the word, and if possible, donate to Doctors without Borders.

Tags: General //