Survivors of sexual violence in the Central African Republic affected by funding cuts (Feature by UN News)
Bangui, Central African Republic (PANA) - The United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) has said that US funding that supported life-saving programmes in the Korsi refugee camp in Birao, Central African Republic (CAR), and other border camps has been cut.
This means that many services for nearly 70,000 women and girls will no longer be able to operate.
“Life is dangerous for women in this camp,” says Mariam Zakaria, 32, who recently fled brutal violence and conflict in Sudan and returned to her home country, the Central African Republic. “If you want to work, someone might not hire you if they can’t take advantage of you. And if a woman doesn’t accept, her children won’t have anything to eat.”
The Korsi refugee camp in Birao, in the north of the Central African Republic, is home to approximately 18,000 refugees and returnees. Many of them have escaped rape, coercion, and traumatic abuse, their journey having been long and fraught. But upon arrival, they often discover that they are not safe either.
"I have to go out to look for work. I am a widow and I have seven children - sometimes they go without food for two days," Ms. Zakaria said in an interview with UNFPA.
The crisis in Sudan has forced more than 3 million people to flee across borders, including tens of thousands who have sought refuge in the Central African Republic. However, decades of conflict, insecurity, violence, and a lack of basic services have also displaced a fifth of the Central African Republic's population, according to United Nations estimates.
Sexual violence, human trafficking, and forced marriage are also reportedly increasing alarmingly in the Central African Republic, particularly in displacement camps and areas controlled by armed groups. The vast majority of those subjected to abuse are women and girls. Nearly a quarter are children and adolescents.
“We receive a lot of cases of rape of minors, especially during the dry season,” said Léonce Issouf Dessoula, a case manager at a UNFPA-supported safe space in the village of Boko Landja, outside the capital Bangui. “Adults are also raped—women go into the forest to look for firewood and food, and they are attacked.”
This safe space is one of 14 that UNFPA currently supports in displacement camps and host communities across the Central African Republic, which provide shelter, as well as medical, psychological, and legal counseling, to survivors and girls at risk of forced marriage. But it's not just strangers who pose a threat to women and girls, explains Ms. Dessoula.
“Physical assault within marriages is common, as is emotional abuse. Many women face financial abuse, when their husbands take the money they earn from selling goods and leave them without resources or opportunities.”
According to 2024 reports, less than a third of sexual violence survivors received psychological or medical care in the critical first 72 hours, and even fewer received legal assistance or livelihood support.
“Although less common, forced marriages also exist, particularly for girls aged 16 to 18, and are often arranged by their parents,” explains Ms. Dessoula.
In Mboko Landja, near the capital Bangui, Naomi Dakaka, 22, was one of these young girls.
"I stopped studying at the age of seven because we couldn't afford it and we had no help paying for school. I have 12 brothers and sisters, but our father is irresponsible," she told UNFPA.
“I was 13 when I was forced into marriage. I had my child in January 2020; he will soon be five. His father also abandoned me, and I currently live with my older sisters.”
Both of Ms. Dakaka's parents have since died, leaving her with no other source of support—until she heard about a nearby UNFPA safe space, offering an alternative way to earn a living to help break the cycle of violence.
“I dream of becoming a seamstress so I can support my children and prepare them for adulthood,” she says. “I want to leave here with useful skills. Before, I wasn’t educated, but thanks to this space, everything has changed.”
U.S. funding that supported lifesaving programs in the Korsi refugee camp in Birao—and other camps near the borders with Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan—was recently cut.
“If funding were to cease, the impact would be devastating,” warned Gender Equality Minister Dr. Marthe Augustine Kirimat, shortly before the cuts were announced. “It would affect the well-being [of survivors], as well as that of their communities and the state.”
Already, thousands of people are missing out on life-saving assistance – including safe childbirth and clinical treatment for rape – as two UNFPA-supported clinics have been forced to close due to lack of funding.
In 2025, UNFPA needs $16.5 million for its programs in the Central African Republic, particularly for the most underserved communities.
For Albertine Yantijba, 55, the Mboko Landja safe space is essential: “As long as it remains active, our women can live in peace. Since the project began, more women feel safe, can assert themselves, and lead normal lives. We ask you to continue supporting us.”
-0- PANA MA 26March20245
