Rape and Sexual Violence in Developing Countries

According to the UN Women website, up to 70 per cent of women worldwide experience sexual violence in their lifetime. Mostly, the perpetrators are their husbands, intimate partners, or someone else they know.

In some of the world’s poorest and most war torn countries, more women are subjected to more sexual violence and rape than anywhere else in the world. Major General Patrick Cammaert, a military commander who is currently serving as the United Nations Force Commander for the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, warns of the dire situation for many women living in conflict burdened areas, saying, “it is now more dangerous to be a woman than to be a soldier in modern conflict.”

Sourced from www.pambazuka.org

Laws do exist to protect women and children in most of these countries, but these systems are often clouded by political, economic and civil unrest. Where sexual violence is concerned, many women get trapped in the shades of gray by failing legal systems that should be black and white. Even though sex crimes are illegal in most countries, the implementation of these laws is not consistent or wholly abided by. Roughly two thirds of countries have laws in place against domestic violence, but many countries still do not explicitly criminalize rape within marriage.

Another cause for serious concern is that many countries have actual laws that will forgive perpetrators of a sexual violence offence if they marry their victims – not only putting the woman in danger, but also forcing her into a role she did not choose for herself.

In 50 countries, female children are still being forced or coerced into getting married – and this legal because the law states the age for marriage is lower for females. Not only does this see young girls getting pulled out of school early, but the fact that violence is acceptable in many of their countries, and their husbands are also older, means that they are also placed at a much greater risk for sexual assault. These girls are likely to get pregnant in their teenage years, a fact that has made early pregnancy and childbirth the leading causes of death in girls aged 15 to 19 in developing countries.

Adding to the problem is the fact that abortion is illegal in many of these countries – and what’s worse is that in some areas, women who are victims of rape are made to marry the rapist in order to give birth to their child within a family setting. This backwards view of a woman’s ownership over her body, future and life is an unsettling injustice.

Abortion is a heated issue, worldwide. Five countries outlaw abortion under any circumstance, even when pregnancy threatens a woman’s life and 61 countries only allow abortion in very rare circumstances. Because of this, some women have to seek “illegal” abortions, which in many instances are both unhealthy and unsafe. It’s estimated that 20 million unsafe abortions are carried out annually, and approximately 68,000 women die from them each year.

Engaging in conversations about these troubling issues is saddening, but it’s also necessary if we want to inspire change. The good news is that women are garnering a greater presence politically on a global scale, with 28 countries seeing 30 per cent or more of their parliaments represented by women. It is with genuine concern for the basic human rights of females that we encourage the influential men and women of the world to help to end the blatant injustices that exist in sexual violence against women.

With continued efforts to raise awareness and affect positive change, the day will soon come when women everywhere are safe and protected, and have complete control over their bodies.

Written by Carla Ciccone