Children Make Up Majority of Victims of Sexual Violence in Many of World's Conflict and Post-Conflict Zones, Save the Children Warns, Ahead of G8 Meeting.
(firmenpresse) - TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/09/13 -- Children make up the majority of victims of sexual violence in many conflict and post-conflict zones, Save the Children has said, in a new report released ahead of a crucial G8 meeting in London aimed at tackling the issue.
In its new report Unspeakable Crimes Against Children, the charity has collated figures and testimonies from a range of countries affected by conflict over the past decade, including Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Colombia.
Reliable data on the issue is limited, as much sexual abuse goes unreported, but taken together, the figures collated in the report indicate that children frequently make up the majority of sexual abuse survivors in war and its aftermath.
For example, a study in Liberia - still recovering from a vicious civil war that ended a decade ago - found that more than 80% of survivors of gender-based violence in 2011-12 were younger than 17. Almost all of them were raped.
Among testimonies gathered from survivors and witnesses for the report, Save the Children heard of children being killed after being raped, both girls and boys kidnapped and abused by armed forces and groups, and children as young as two being attacked by opportunistic sexual predators, including teachers, religious leaders, peacekeepers, and family members.
Despite this, programmes to prevent children falling victim to sexual violence and help them recover from attacks remain chronically underfunded. The most recent complete global figures show that less than a quarter of the budget needed to protect children and women in emergencies was available, the charity said.
Patricia Erb, Save the Children's Chief Executive said: "The rates of sexual violence against children in conflict zones are horrifying. War is brutal, but all parties in conflict have the duty both moral and legal to protect children."
"The psychological scars are often far deeper and longer lasting than the physical effects of sexual violence. In too many cultures children are cast out of their families and communities if they go public with their experience. For these reasons it is imperative that world leaders commit to improving child protection and support systems for survivors as well as hold the abusers accountable."
Testimonies of witnesses and survivors of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings around the world reveal the devastating impact such incidents have on children's lives:
During its leadership of the G8, the UK government has vowed to prioritize the issue of sexual violence in conflict. Save the Children is calling on G8 leaders to take the following concrete actions to help children who are affected:
To read the report visit:
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Datum: 09.04.2013 - 17:00 Uhr
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