“Life is dangerous for women in this camp”: In the Central African Republic, survivors of sexual violence lose critical support as funding is slashed
“Life is dangerous for women in this camp,” said Mariam Zakaria, 32, who recently fled brutal violence and conflict in Sudan, returning to the Central African Republic, her home country. “If you want to work, someone might not hire you unless they can take advantage of you. And if a woman doesn’t accept, her children will get nothing to eat.”
The Korsi refugee camp in Birao, in northern Central African Republic, is home to around 18,000 refugees and returnees. Many have escaped rape, coercion and traumatic abuse, their journeys long and fraught with danger. But upon arrival, they often discover they are not safe at their destination either.
Despite the treacherous conditions, Ms. Zakaria told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, “I have to go out looking for work. I am a widow and have seven children – sometimes they go without food for two days.”
The crisis in Sudan has led over 3 million people to flee across borders, tens of thousands of them to the Central African Republic. Yet decades of conflict, insecurity, violence and a lack of essential services have also caused one fifth of the Central African Republic’s population to be displaced, according to UN estimates.
Sexual violence, trafficking and forced marriage are also reportedly rising at alarming rates in the Central African Republic, particularly in displacement camps and areas controlled by armed groups. The vast majority of those subjected to abuse are women and girls; almost one quarter are children and adolescents.
“We receive a lot of cases of rape of minors, especially during this dry season,” said Léonce Issouf Dessoula, a case manager at a UNFPA-supported safe space in the village of Boko Landja, near the capital Bangui. “Adults are raped too – women go to the forest to look for wood and for things to eat, and they get assaulted.”
When even home is a hazard
The safe space is one of 14 UNFPA currently supports in displacement camps and host communities in the Central African Republic, which offer refuge as well as medical, psychological and legal referrals for survivors and girls at risk of forced marriage. Yet Ms. Dessoula explained it’s not just strangers who pose a threat to women and girls.
“Physical assault within marriages is common, as well as psychological violence. Many women face financial abuse, where their husbands take the money they earn from selling goods and leave them with no resources or opportunities.”
Reports from early 2024 showed that fewer than one third of survivors of sexual violence received any kind of psychological or medical care within the critical first 72-hour period, and even fewer received legal or livelihood assistance.
“Although less common, forced marriages also occur, particularly with young girls aged 16 to 18, often arranged by their parents,” Ms. Dessoula said.
A second chance
In Mboko Landja, near the capital Bangui, 22-year-old Naomi Dakaka was one such girl.
“I stopped studying at the age of seven as we couldn’t afford it and had no help to pay for school. I have 12 siblings, but our father is irresponsible,” she told UNFPA.
“I was 13 when I was forced to be married. I had my child in January 2020, he will be five years old soon. His father also abandoned me, and I am currently living with my older sisters.”
Both Ms. Dakaka’s parents have since passed away, leaving her with no other source of help – until she heard about a UNFPA safe space nearby, offering an alternative way of earning a living to help break the cycle of violence.
“I dream of becoming a seamstress so I can support my children and prepare them for adulthood,” she said. “I want to leave here with valuable skills. Before, I wasn’t educated, but thanks to this space, everything has transformed.”
A freeze on critical funds
Life-saving funds from the United States that had been supporting programmes in the Korsi refugee camp in Birao – and others near the borders with Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan – have recently been terminated.
As a result, many services aimed at reaching almost 70,000 women and girls will no longer be able to operate. “If funding were to stop, the impact would be devastating,” said Dr. Marthe Augustine Kirimat, Minister of Gender promotion, shortly before news of the terminations. “It would affect [survivors’] well-being, as well as their community and the state.”
Already, thousands are no longer receiving vital assistance – including for safe delivery and clinical management of rape – as two UNFPA-supported health clinics have been forced to close their doors due to a lack of available funding.
In 2025, UNFPA needs US$16.5 million for its programmes in the Central African Republic, especially for the most underserved communities.
Albertine Yantijba, 55, said of the safe space in Mboko Landja, “As long as it remains active, our women can live in tranquility. Since the project began, more women feel safe, can assert themselves, and live normal lives. We ask you to please continue supporting us.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
