These are the voices of women in the Central African Republic. Since 2013 the already unstable country has descended into chaos and become engulfed by sectarian violence. Approximately 120,000 people have fled the country since December. Reports of sexual violence have increased dramatically.
The IRC provides counselling, medical referrals and critical household supplies to women in the Central African Republic. The path towards peace must address the needs and include the voices of women and girls.
Woman 1: In our region, we’re suffering a lot, especially us women.
Title: These are the voices of women in the Central African Republic.
Woman 2: Soldiers, who came to our country, massacred us and did us a lot of harm.
Title: Since 2013, the already unstable country has descended into chaos and become engulfed by sectarian violence.
Woman 3: They killed a lot of young boys and even the women in the town of Kaga-Bandoro.
Woman 4: For no reason they came to beat us up and kill us. With machetes everywhere, they chased us.
Woman 5: They brought their tanks, broke down the door. They killed my grandson.
Woman 2: My husband, he was found dead in the Ubangi River there, there in the river.
Title: Approximately 120,000 people have fled the country since December.
Woman 2: We left our homes to come here.
Woman 4: We told ourselves it would end. It doesn’t end. It continues. It’s already been four months here. It’s bad for us women. There’s nowhere to sleep. There’s nothing for you to eat. How will you live?
Woman 2: We have children. They’re very young. They can’t just stay like this. The one is already six years old. He has never even been at a school desk. What’s going to become of them tomorrow?
Woman 3: We’re afraid to go and look for food for to the children. We can’t even go 5 kilometres [3 miles] away to find something to sell.
Woman 2: We can’t return home because it’s totally unsafe. They’ll take us, they’ll kill us, they’ll rape us.
Woman 6: They were three, and [one of them] said to me he had to rape me in the presence of my children so that it will hurt me. Then he started to rape me. They had done with me and they went back to my daughters. A fourteen year-old girl. A twelve year-old girl. Both they raped. We ran just with underwear. They ran another way. I haven’t seen them since then. I live with pain right now.
Title: Reports of sexual violence have increased dramatically.
Woman 4: Us women, we’re in prison here. We can’t leave.
Woman 2: So we pray a lot to you, IRC, to … I don’t know how to put it. We don’t know. We’re waiting for you. We’re waiting for you.
Title: The IRC provides counseling, medical referrals and critical household supplies to women in the Central African Republic.
Title: The path towards peace in the Central African Republic must address the needs and includes the voices of women and girls. Rescue-uk.org/country/CAR
