In CAR, high poverty rates and misinformation are causing a sharp increase in gender-based violence. Our staff, with the support of the European Union, has initiated integrated multi-sectoral interventions on sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence and created sheltered spaces for women.
(Archive photo)
The recurring politico-military crises that have persisted in the Central African Republic for more than a decade have exacerbated gender-based violence both in the capital, Bangui, and in the rest of the country and made access to sexual and reproductive health services almost impossible in some regions due to the absence of adequate health facilities and financial resources. Despite the existence of relevant policies and laws, gender-based violence remains a scourge that silently ravages women and girls in the Central African Republic.
Increase in cases of gender-based violence
Domestic violence, rape, trafficking, early and forced marriage, sexual harassment, exploitation, and sexual abuse are some of the very common types of gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies. Due to the disruption of family and social support networks, threats of gender-based violence increase in humanitarian contexts, with around 70 percent of women experiencing it.
In recent years, the phenomenon has been on the rise in the Central African Republic due to socio-cultural norms that favor it and the near non-existence of state authority in some cities of the country.
According to data from the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS), 5,928 cases were recorded in the first four months of 2023 and 23,644 cases in 2022, a 104% increase compared to the number of cases recorded in 2021.
Among the main reasons for this sharp increase are the lack of information and awareness of the problem and the poverty that affects almost 70% of the population (according to a World Bank study, in 2023, almost seven out of ten people in the Central African Republic will be below the extreme poverty line of USD 2.15 per day).
The adoption of harmful survival mechanisms (early marriage of girls, sex for survival) and the food insecurity that affects the country are all factors that favor the sharp increase in gender-based violence in the country.
Our intervention
Thanks to the European Union’s support, INTERSOS launched integrated multi-sectoral interventions on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV) in 2023 and created sheltered environments for women and girls in five of the localities most affected by the conflict: Bimbo, Begoua, Bocaranga, and Boganangone.
In these spaces, women and girls can freely discuss their problems and concerns without fear of reprisals. They can participate in psychosocial and learning activities, group counseling, and functional literacy sessions. Psychosocial support to survivors of gender-based violence, exploitation, and sexual abuse is also provided in fixed listening centers or through mobile teams that, among other activities, also refer women survivors of violence to specialized health services.
During the past year, we have also organised awareness-raising campaigns that have contributed significantly to preventing the phenomenon.