Video Transcription of: Sexual Violence is usually a Weapon in War
Sexual violence is usually a weapon in war,
Especially in areas where there is not a lot of security.
People take advantage of women, and they use it as a weapon of war.
In some areas in South Sudan, if you don’t have any food to give,
You will be raped.
Or if you don’t have any money to give, you will be raped,
And if you refuse to be raped,
They will kill your children in front of you and you will be killed,
So you really don’t have a choice,
So it is a very difficult situation to be in.
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My name is Jamie, I am a nurse with Doctors Without Borders.
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In Bentiu protection camp, it is pretty much a swamp.
There is nothing growing inside the camp, and
the refugees, the people, the civilians that are getting protection
They are getting food rations but they are not getting anything to cook their food so,
A lot of the people have to leave the camp every day to collect firewood outside the camp.
The men can’t go because they are targets for soldiers outside the camp.
So it is usually the women and the children that leave the camp to collect firewood.
And when they do, there is a lot of times that we hear stories that they get raped,
Often gang raped when they leave the camp to collect firewood.
For some of them it happens every day.
But a lot of people that we encourage to come to the camp,
Feel that there is no need for them to come.
Number one because they feel, that they are quite ashamed of what happened,
and culturally it is not really accepted but,
also they feel that it is happening to them every day and
What is the need to get treatment,
If they are just going to get raped tomorrow.
So it is a very difficult situation, to have an answer to but,
we do provide services and we do listen to their stories and we do write them down
so that there is a record of what happens, that it is just not forgotten.
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So this is happening all over the world,
Any area where there is women fleeing,
There are people that will be taking advantage of them.
So it is something that needs to be taken into account, and to be brought up.
We talk a lot about humanitarian work and medical care but,
We should also speak to the need for protection of women,
And to stop sexual violence.