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International Partnerships

"We break the silence to help survivors of sexual violence fight for justice"

Breaking the silence

Today, Miryam continues her fight against injustice by breaking the silence to support other survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in their quest for reparations.

I am not only a survivor – I am now also a leader. I want to lend a hand to those who are victims so that they become survivors. I call on all survivors to speak out.

Miryam

Thanks to joining the Movement of Survivors in Central African Republic (MOSUCA), Solène received counselling for her mental health and found her way out as an activist.

Those who have suffered atrocities don’t break the silence, their children don’t go to school, they cannot work, they are rejected. I will not lower my head – it’s time for our perpetrators to lower theirs. I want us all to open our eyes to the reality that survivors live in.

Solène

Working hand in hand with survivors for a new future

Conflict-related sexual violence is used as a weapon of terror in Central African Republic as part of a broader system of discrimination and violence against women and girls. For many survivors, bringing their perpetrators to justice is one of the most urgent needs. Unfortunately, they also face major challenges that prevent them from rebuilding their lives such as social and economic insecurity, stigmatisation and a lack of health, education or judicial services.

The wait for reparations awarded by the government, including formal recognition of their experience, which they rightly deserve, can be far too long.

The Global Survivors Fund (GSF) has partnered with Association des Femmes Juristes Centrafricaines in Central African Republic as well as the Mukwege FoundationMOSUCA and the Collectif national des associations de victimes de Centrafrique, to put into place interim reparative measures that will provide the vital and life-changing support survivors need to begin again.

With reparations, we will feel lighter. GSF’s project will help survivors to take their lives into their own hands and to let go of their past to focus on the present and become independent.

Miryam

Through this project survivors will receive, among other things, financial compensation, vocational and financial training, legal aid and medical care to repair their bodies, and psychological support to heal themselves, their families and their communities. The project will also benefit their children, including children born out of rape. All measures have been carefully chosen by survivors to transform their lives. GSF’s project aims to support survivors in the Dékoa region to live with dignity.

This project plays a very important role. For people like me who have lost everything, these measures will allow us to restart our lives more easily.

Solène

The European Union supports the Global Survivors Fund’s work on conflict-related sexual violence across the globe, providing €2 million in funding for the period 2021 to 2023.