Angelina Jolie's Sudan Journal - UNHCR

I meet with a woman who was raped and is now eight months pregnant. I ask herto say only what she wants to say. I would like to understand her difficulties andconcerns. “They burned everything and took everything. Some of us women wentwalking to find fruit. The Janjaweed saw us and said, ‘You will have no foodtoday.’ ”She says a guy in military uniform helped a man to rape her. “They took ourclothes.” That is their way of saying rape. I ask, “Do you have a husband?” “Yesand two more children.” But he fled to Chad and she has not seen him for awhile. They were crossing the border but her husband is not the father of theother two kids (the first died). So when many guns started, he asked her to runand leave the kids and she refused. “Thanks to God we did not get shot but thenthis happened (motions to her belly).” She has not heard from her husband inover a year.She feels someone needs to come here who can protect her from theJanjaweed.I ask if others from the village have been raped recently. “Twelve, but only I ampregnant.” Among tribes rape can be considered a shame to the village. Shesays her husband sent word only through a male friend here that “she didsomething bad by the rape.”“I will take care, of course, of the baby but I have no clothes or food for the otherkids already, so…” She is 25 years old.A discussion:If NFIs (non-food items) were brought in. It must be done carefully. Fix the well.Some pots or jerry cans. But a small wood burning stove, new plastic sheeting, agrinding machine would attract the enemy. It might threaten the security of thepeople.17