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Sexual violence in conflict and weapons: unpacking the links for better prevention

Sexual violence in conflict and weapons: unpacking the links for better prevention

Nord Kivu. Cette femme, 45 ans, veuve et mère de sept enfants, a été agressée et violée par un homme armé un soir d'avril 2012 lors qu'elle rentrait à la maison après avoir cultivé des champs avoisinants. North Kivu. This woman, 45, a widow and mother of seven, was attacked and raped by an armed man one evening in April 2012 when she was coming home from cultivating nearby fields. After her ordeal, she came straight to a listening house. The listening house, after helping her get appropriate medical care, provided a safe listening space, advice and some basic assistance. "The body pain didn't take long to go away... But emotionally, living with my thoughts, remembering what happened... it is very difficult. I still have these thoughts now. With the help and advice of the counsellor, little by little I feel better. But I'm afraid [with the insecurity that exists here] that it will happen again. There is news that the fighting will only get worse. What makes me feel better is watching the children play... The youth have football matches for example, and watching them gives me hope again. It helps me not to think." But despite the consequences of sexual violence for its victims, it rarely marks the end of their ordeal, and victims are often victims of other forms of violence. Soon after this attack, Julienne was also looted when she and her family fled recent fighting.

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