“They arrived at our house and knocked on the door. After entering our home, they beat
my husband. They called my mother- and father-in-law as well as my children and then
they raped me in their presence. They left but later came back and looted all the
livestock and cassava, taking it to the forest. They also took me to the forest and I spent
two months there.”
THEME: FORCED RAPE BETWEEN VICTIMS
Some sexual violence survivors describe forced rape between victims, often of incestuous nature.
These descriptions included young men being forced to rape their mothers or sisters as well as
fathers being forced to rape their daughters. Refusal on the part of the male to commit such acts
of sexual violence often led to his death.
“My husband, children and I were at home when the soldiers arrived. The soldiers
attempted to anally rape my son but he refused and they killed him. After this, eight men
raped me in the presence of my husband. After raping me, they forced my husband to
have sex with me in front of them.”
“My husband and I were sleeping in our house. The children were sleeping in the house
next door. The soldiers arrived and brought my daughter to our house where they raped
her in the presence of my husband and me. Afterwards they demanded that my husband
rape my daughter but he refused so they shot him. Then they went into the other house
where they found my three sons. They killed all three of my boys. After killing them, two
soldiers raped me one after the other.”
“My family and our neighbors were all sleeping in the same house. There were five
women in total and we were all raped. Three of the assailants raped me in front of my
children. They also forced my son to have sex with the neighbor in our presence.”
“I was in the house with my husband when two assailants arrived. They beat my
husband very badly. They ordered my son to have sex with me, his mother. My son
refused so they killed him with a knife. Next they took me out behind the house where
they raped me. When they left, they took the two cows, which were our only means of
living. When I returned to the house, I found the body of my son. Now, I live with
misery and sickness each day.”
THEME: RAPE OF PREGNANT WOMEN
Pregnant women, even those in the advanced stages of pregnancy, were in no way immune to
sexual violence. Descriptions of miscarriages and stillbirths following rape were not infrequent.
“I was seven months pregnant when I was raped by six assailants. After the rape, I
experienced abdominal pain and then I miscarried my baby. During the miscarriage I
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