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Great Lakes: Rehabilitation for women and children affected by conflict

Konfliktprävention

The Great Lakes region has been deeply marked for years by regional wars and numerous internal conflicts. Alarmed in 2002 by news from its network of local partners about the rape of more than 2,000 women by combatants from different armed groups, the SDC provided immediate support for the spontaneous efforts of the women of Burundi to come to the aid of 500 raped sisters. The aid immediately provided consisted of medical care and psychosocial support in Bujumbura. More innovative solutions were subsequently adopted.

An innovative approach
Acting on the assumption that victim rehabilitation should address medical, psychological, social, economic and legal aspects, the SDC’s multi-faceted response had three pillars:

  1. Medical care: the SDC facilitates the transfer of victims to the relevant medical service centres and provides free medical consultation and HIV testing on a voluntary basis
  2. Support for psychosocial, economic and legal rehabilitation with efforts to provide victims with immediate relief, setting up counselling centres or helping to train social workers
  3. Witness programmes: The SDC facilitates investigations into instances of sexual violence, publishes the results and supports the networking of actors in the field of sexual violence.

Additional Information and Documents