ICC Note 

Women in Somalia are not only dealing with a famine, that has made more than 700,000 people leave their homes in search for food, but are also dealing with sexual assault at three times the rate of other nearby countries. This is mainly due to a lack of security when travelling. The perpetrators have come from all areas, including the local communities and armed gangs going to areas with little to no policing. This makes dealing with the famine even harder and puts many lives at risk. We pray that they are able to find safety and shelter in this time of need.

2017-07-15 Somalia (CNN)- With more than a third of Somalia’s population now facing starvation, new statistics show that in addition to hunger, many women in Somalia are at risk for being raped.

The reported cases of rape and sexual violence in drought-affected areas are on the rise, in what UNICEF calls another troubling consequence of the crisis.

It is a part of what one UN official is calling the world’s largest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II.

Between November and March, UNICEF and partners responded to about 300 cases of rape, sexual assault and gender related violence on average each month. In June, however, the number tripled, with 909 reported cases. So far, that’s the highest number of reported cases in a single month in 2017.

“Gender-based violence was an issue before the current drought in Somalia, but we see with the current drought the way it has increased,” says Jean Lokenga, head of UNICEF Child Protection in Somalia.

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