*Lord have mercy! According to a report from the Women’s Refugee Center (WRC), what’s happening to African migrants is absolutely INHUMANE and HORRIBLE and needs looked into immediately.
“Our findings are deeply disturbing,” said Dr. Sarah Chynoweth, sexual violence project director and consultant to WRC, who led the research. “Sexual violence against female and male refugees and migrants appears to be widespread along the migration route, particularly in Libya.”
The Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) today released the second in a series of groundbreaking studies looking into sexual violence against men and boys affected by conflict. The report launched today, “‘More Than One Million Pains’: Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys on the Central Mediterranean Route to Italy,” explores one of the most dangerous migration passageways in the world and the nature and characteristics of sexual violence perpetrated against men and boys along this route and when they reach Italy.
The first report in this series, “‘It’s Happening to Our Men as Well’: Sexual Violence Against Rohingya Men and Boys,” was launched in New York last fall and revealed new data suggesting that the Myanmar Armed Forces targeted Rohingya men and boys for sexual violence as part of its unfettered assault on the Rohingya community in 2017.
“WRC has undertaken this research looking into sexual violence against refugee men and boys so that we can identify the gaps in protection and services for this population – which have not been well documented – and to get a better understanding of how it intersects with violence against refugee women and girls,” said Joan Timoney, WRC’s senior director of advocacy and external relations. “We are also working to ensure that efforts to address male survivors complement and reinforce services for women and girls.”
The “More Than One Million Pains” report shows that sexual violence against all migrants and refugees – women, men, girls, boys, and LGBTQI+ persons – appears widespread along the route and that sexual victimization is often not a one-off event. Refugees and migrants are exposed to sexual violence throughout the course of their journey from fleeing home, during the crossing of the Sahel, to being held in Libya, where they face harrowing conditions, and even onto Italy – for the few that make it that far – where for some the cycle of violence continues. The study also suggests that some boys, young men, and LGBTQI persons are being sexually exploited in Italy, as are numerous women and girls.
There’s MORE to this story and it needs to read so you or someone will hopefully be moved to act upon it so these people can be helped. Read/learn MORE and see the video at EURthisNthat.com.
