Addressing this epidemic was the subject of a recent UN event held during the opening session of the General Assembly, where senior officials called for measures to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable for their crimes.
“I followed him into the house. I did not know that he would force me.” At only 13 years old, Mariama (not her real name) was sexually assaulted by a neighbor when she returned home from school: Nine months later, still a child herself, she became a mother. “At 16, I had a daughter who was almost a year and a half old.”
Around 17 percent of women in Comoros have experienced at least one episode of physical or sexual violence in their lives, and more than 30 percent of girls have been married off as children.
Most cases of violence are reported by young women, Said Ahamed Said, from the Comoros Health Service said: “Last year, we received 173 reports of sexual violence, of which 162 were against young women under the age of 17.”
But, given the social norms in The Comoros, and the economic vulnerability of women, the official figures are believed to be just the tip of the iceberg.
It is forbidden for a woman to report violence and, as long as she still shares a home with the man involved, she will rarely come forward.
Mr. Said explained: “Many times the woman has no source of income, and when a man divorces a woman, she no longer takes care of the children. “There are no social services to manage such cases, or places where they can seek refuge.”
People living on the Comoros islands in the Indian Ocean need to adapt to climate change.
Hearing and protection
Despite the challenges, the UN is committed to ending all violence against women and girls in the Comoros.
The World Organization for Reproductive Health, UNFPA, has set up a free website that survivors can call for help and information about getting medical and legal help, and supports the Hearing and Protection Service for Children and Women Victims of Violence, in the capital city. , Moroni.
The service also provides midwives and contraceptive services, post-rape treatment and screenings for sexually transmitted infections, and referrals to hospitals. From 2021 we have also placed a psychologist to help women and girls who have been left to take care of their families alone.
Since the Project began, around 17 years ago, awareness of the issue of sexual violence has grown in The Comoros, said Mr. Said, and women and girls are more likely to report attacks than they before opening.
After the attack, Mariama decided to seek help and justice, received medical and legal help from the company, and the staff supported her as the case went through the courts after the man’s arrest.
A counselor at the Hearing and Protection Service for Children and Women Victims of Violence talks with a victim of sexual violence in Moroni, the capital of Comoros.
‘Most evildoers don’t face responsibility’
The sense of struggle in ensuring accountability for sexual violence was emphasized at a recent side event to the 77th UN General Assembly, which emphasized the need to focus on survivors’ needs and rights above all.
“The survivor-centered approach we promote is about listening to survivors, treating them with dignity, and suggesting a response based on their needs and desires,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem said.
“Few have access to justice, and most perpetrators do not face responsibility for their crimes. Such injustice silences those who remain, and gives courage to those who commit it.”
Ms. Kanem described sexual violence as “a global emergency that requires full commitment, cooperation and mobilization.”
“Sexual violence is not inevitable,” he said. “We cannot allow it to become normal in any way.”
Short term judgement
For Mariama, justice was short lived: Her rapist was released after serving just one year in prison. “I still see him in our neighborhood, but I always stay away or change my ways. If you try to talk to me, I won’t answer,” he said.
Although he is afraid of being attacked again, he is a rebel. “My focus now is my education: I want to become a lawyer.”
Mariama wants to stand up for herself and for others, especially her daughter. “I want her to be able to protect herself properly, and other girls who may suffer any kind of abuse.”
