INVESTIGATION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN EASTERN DRC Women taken as sex slaves were on average younger than women who reported other types of sexual violence (mean age 29 years vs. 36 years, P < 0.0001). Women who self-identified with the Bafulero tribe were less likely to be taken as sex slaves compared to women who selfidentified with other tribes (OR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.03 – 0.81). There was a trend towards Bashi women being more affected by sexual slavery (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.98 – 1.44). Single women were two and a half times more likely to be taken as sex slaves compared to married, divorced or widowed women (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 2.01 – 3.08). TRENDS OVER TIME Thirty-four percent of sexual violence survivors did not report the month that the sexual assault occurred. Among those who did report the month of attack, there was a significant increase in the number of sexual assaults specifically in June of 2004 (Figure 5). Smaller spikes in reported cases of sexual violence were noted in April 2004, March 2005, June 2005 and April 2006. Figure 5. Number of sexual assaults by month and year. The reported attacks extended back as far as 1994 with 32 sexual assaults (1%) occurring in the 1990’s. The highest number of attacks occurred in 2004 and the number of assaults reported at Panzi Hospital decreased steadily between 2004 and 2008 (Figure 6). 17