ConclusionThe risk of sexual violence is a fact of everyday life for many women and girls in Darfur. It is a particularly disturbing feature of the ongoing armed conflict, a consequence of abusive state armed forces and non-state armed groups, and of the breakdown of law and order. Its persistence is attributable in part to the government’s failure to seriously investigate and prosecute those responsible, especially from among its own ranks. The government should take concerted, urgent steps to prevent these crimes and promote accountability for the perpetrators. In short, the government must send the message that sexual violence will not be tolerated and back up that message with action. At the same time, the government should make a priority of restoring public confidence in police, especially in rural areas. This can be achieved through wider deployment of police, including female investigators, equipped with better resources to respond to crime and trained professionally in methods for dealing with cases of sexual violence. Police and medical personnel must understand and implement the correct procedure for recording medical evidence that can be used in court. Crucially, the government must address the military’s refusal to cooperate with the civilian criminal justice system. Police must be allowed to fulfill their duty to investigate crimes, even when perpetrated by military and militia. Military authorities must not stand in their way. UNAMID, still in the process of deploying, should make sure that the prevention of sexual violence is recognized by all staff as an integral element of its civilian protection responsibilities. This means deploying widely to vulnerable areas in both government and former-rebel and rebel areas. It should conduct protective patrols including firewood patrols, planned in coordination with local community and relevant humanitarian actors. It should ensure that its police are well-qualified, trained, and equipped to investigate cases of sexual violence and to proactively monitor the investigations of government police. |