Gender violence in conflict situations : the case of abduction of women and children in Sudan

Abstract

"The research primarily investigated the causes of abduction of women and children in conflict areas in Sudan. In doing this, it addressed the effects of abduction on women and children and considered some solutions to the problems identified. The study is significant because it examines an area hitherto not addressed that is, the abduction of women and children as a result of conflict between Sudanese tribes. It differs from earlier studies, which limit their examination to the abduction of children as soldiers. An additional aim of this research is to raise the awareness of the international community's efforts at stopping the practice of abduction, with a view of ensuring that the Government of Sudan (GOS) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) are educated about the problem. Though the main focus of my research is abduction that arises from clashes among tribes, a portion of it has been dedicated to the issue of abduction of children by the SPLA for the purpose of engaging them as soldiers. Some International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) described the abduction of women and children as slavery, this allegation arose from the fact that the abductees were subjected to forced labour such as cutting trees for fuel and herding cattle under harsh conditions. However, the Sudanese Government and other INGOs such as the Sudan Foundation in United Kingdom have challenged this claim. Sudan, which is the largest country in Africa, is approximately 2,505,810 sg Km. Its large size constitutes the main obstacle that sets back serious efforts in the area of resolving human rights violations. The illiteracy of the poeole, especially in rural areas, plays an important role in the perpetuation of some repugnant traditions and customs that decrease the chances of interaction among the different tribes and groups in some parts of the Sudan. Disputes of socio-economic nature occasionlly arise between tribes in the war zone areas due to scarcity of water and pasture for the people and the animals. These tribal disputes, which lead to the abduction of women and children of one tribe by another, caused the Ministry of Justice in Sudan to issue an order which led to the establishment of the Committee for the Eradication of Abduction of Women and Children (CEAWC). The Committee of which I am a member, is mandated to investigate and trace abducted women and children for the purpose of retrieval." -- Introduction.