WUNRN
Also Via SVRI - Sexual Violence
Research Initiative
SUDAN - NORTH DARFUR WATER PROJECT
HELPS
PROTECT WOMEN FROM SEXUAL VIOLENCE
A woman in El Fasher,
NAIROBI, 27 April 2011 (IRIN) - A water project supported by the
UN-African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID) in eight villages of North Darfur
will not only facilitate residents' access to water but also help to reduce
sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the region, local residents and
UNAMID officials said.
“For years we have been afraid of being attacked while fetching water and
collecting firewood; it is not always possible to move in groups and we are
often escorted by men or UNAMID peacekeepers,” a resident of Kuma Garadayat
village, who declined to be named, told IRIN on 27 April.
Kuma Garadayat, 60km from El Fasher in
About 30,000 rolling water containers, with a capacity of 75l each, the
equivalent of four jerry cans, were distributed to women in the villages, all with
poor access to water and severely affected by drought during the dry season. “I
hope through the water carriers, things will become easier for us; we’ll be
less exposed,” the villager added.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), most SGBV cases in
Because of generally poor access to justice, a sense of impunity, and the
social stigmas attached to SBGV, the international community in
The water project is part of broader UNAMID-backed recovery projects, which
include training midwives and helping to improve health and education in
villages. Several thousand water hippos will be dispatched over the next two
weeks, mainly to women heads of households, the vulnerable and people living
far from water points, says UNAMID.
The barrel-shaped water carriers are designed to reduce the physical burden of
carrying water and would benefit women and children who are mostly in charge of
water collection in
“One of the major sources of conflict in
“This project is to make life easier and safer for women, and also to
underscore the fact that water hasn’t only been a source of conflict, it is
also the solution,” he said. “It is our hope that their [the barrels’] use will
not only support former displaced persons but also help protect civilians as
they return to resume their lives.”