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Stopping Mass Rape in Darfur and Chad

PHR has documented the scope and long-term impact of rape and other sexual violence experienced by women who fled attacks on their villages in Darfur and are now refugees in neighboring Chad. Sexual violence and rape have become hallmarks of the lives of Darfuri women.

Many women were raped in the torrent of violence that forced them to flee their villages. Sudanese security forces, including police deployed to protect Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and allied Janjaweed militias, have been implicated in acts of rape and sexual violence. Women IDPs and refugees report also being forced to exchange sexual favors for desperately needed goods and services. The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has identified "high numbers of… mass rapes and other forms of extremely serious gender violence."

PHR has documented mass rape in Darfur and Chad in three reports: Darfur: Assault on Survival, The Use Of Rape As A Weapon Of War In The Conflict In Darfur, Sudan, and Nowhere to Turn: Failure to Protect, Support and Assure Justice for Darfuri Women.

>> Learn more about Stopping Mass Rape in Darfur and Chad.

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Forensic Nursing and the Law (January 17, 2012)

The International Association of Forensic Nurses recently profiled PHR's program on sexual violence in conflict zones in their newsletter, "On the Edge".

Hans Hogrefe to be Honored for Contributions to Human Rights (July 11, 2011)

Hans Hogrefe, PHR’s Chief Policy Officer and Washington Director, will be honored by the Stewart Mott Foundation and the Open Society Foundation for his contributions to human rights.

PHR Sounds Alarm about Safety and Survival in Darfur's Kalma Camp (August 10, 2010)

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) today raised grave concern for the residents of the Kalma Camp in South Darfur and the thousands of others displaced by recent fighting in the camp and a humanitarian blockade imposed by the Government of Sudan...

PHR Seeks Balanced US Plan to Respond to Violence against Women in Darfur (March 31, 2010)

On the eve of the US government's expected release of a plan to address violence against women and girls in Darfur, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) renews its call for an integrated plan that balances treatment and support for violence survivors with broader programming that reduces vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence.

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Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Abdullah Eisa Delivers Lecture at SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s School of Public Health (November 1, 2011)

On September 22, Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Abdullah Eisa, Sudan Program Fellow at PHR, delivered a lecture titled “Human Rights and Health” at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s School of Public Health in Brooklyn, New York. The lecture was part of the Scholar Rescue Fund’s Hite Chair Scholar Lecture Series, which appointed Dr. Mohammed to be a visiting academic fellow.

Sudan, Divided: Addressing the Primary Challenges to the South’s Development (part 3 of 3) (August 16, 2011)

How will South Sudan go about settling the remaining secession negotiations with the north, avoiding further armed conflict with Sudan President Omar al-Bashir’s government? How and to what extent should international actors arbitrate these negotiations?

Sudan, Divided: Addressing the Primary Challenges to the South’s Development (part 2 of 3) (August 10, 2011)

The border disputes between Sudan and South Sudan persist. Particularly in South Kordofan and the Nuba mountains, the media continues to highlight allegations of ethnic cleansing, extra-judicial and indiscriminate killings, direct targeting of civilians, and evidence of mass graves.

Sudan, Divided: Addressing the Primary Challenges to the South’s Development (part 1 of 3) (August 8, 2011)

Tuesday, August 9, will mark one month since South Sudan’s official independence and international recognition as Africa’s 54th state. As the new nation begins to form its policies on development issues, its leadership and citizenry must successfully overcome several obstacles. If the fledgling nation is to surmount its history of protracted violence and denial of civilians’ most basic rights, the development of South Sudan must be a constructive and inclusive process.

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Grading the Benchmarks (April 2010)

Now, almost six months after the policy review, an honest accounting of the "benchmarks" for progress in Sudan suggests how much important work remains to be done if broader conflict is to be avoided.

Action Agenda for Realizing Treatment and Support for Women and Girls in Darfur (March 2010)

This 9-page white paper, published March 17, 2010, on the eve of the US Special Envoy to Sudan's first twelve months in office, urges the US Envoy to address the urgent need of women and girls in Darfur through diplomatic efforts and the resources appropriated to the office for urgent peace and security interventions.

Nowhere to Turn (May 2009)

PHR's report documents the scope and long-term impact of rape and other sexual violence experienced by women who fled attacks on their villages in Darfur and are now refugees in neighboring Chad.

Rape as a Weapon of War: Accountability for Sexual Violence in Conflict (April 2008)

At the request of Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), PHR submitted a statement for the record as part of "Rape as a Weapon of War: Accountability for Sexual Violence in Conflict" hearing held on April 1st, 2008 by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Human Rights and the Law Subcommittee.

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Featured Report

Nowhere to Turn

PHR's report documents the scope and long-term impact of rape and other sexual violence experienced by women who fled attacks on their villages in Darfur and are now refugees in neighboring Chad. Read More »

Featured Investigator

Susannah Sirkin, M.Ed.

Susannah has been with PHR since shortly after its founding in 1987; she has organized health and human rights investigations to dozens of countries and been expert editor and author for many of PHR's reports and papers. She currently is heading up PHR's work against sexual violence and rape as weapons of war. Read More »