Skip to content
Site search

Central African Republic

Since 2003, the Central African Republic (CAR) has endured some form of armed conflict, with sexual violence used indiscriminately by all parties.

As is often the case when conflict-related sexual violence is wielded so widely across communities, most of its victims have never seen justice nor obtained much needed care and acknowledgment for what they suffered. 

To address this significant gap, we partnered with the Association des Femmes Juristes Centrafricaines (AFJC), an organisation working with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in the country for more than 30 years. The Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation has also joined us to share their expertise in holistic care for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. 

The Global Survivors Fund (GSF) began working in CAR in 2021 with a Global Reparations Study. The Global Reparations Study laid the foundation for the project for interim reparative measures, as we saw that survivors have urgent needs which have not been addressed since the beginning of the conflict. 

The project will focus on providing interim reparative measures to survivors in Dékoa.

Project partners

Association des Femmes Juristes Centrafricaines (AFJC)

Collectif national des victimes de Centrafrique (CNAV CA)

Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation

Mouvement des survivant.es de violences sexuelles en Centrafrique (MOSUCA)

2021

WORK BEGAN

285

SURVIVOR PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFIED

1

LOCATION

Interim reparative measures being co-created with survivors

Survivors identified the following as the greatest needs for their community during our initial consultations, an integral part of Global Survivors Fund’s (GSF) co-creation approach:

Compensation;
Socio-economic training and vocational coaching;
Medical, psychological, and psychosocial care;
Identity documents for survivors and their children.

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.

— Miryam, Survivor from CAR

The project also includes important Advocacy and Guide work to the Central African authorities, including the Strategic Committee against Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, and the Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation Commission responsible for developing a reparation policy in CAR.

The Strategic Committee is a joint platform of governmental authorities, civil society groups, and international partners to monitor incidents involving conflict-related sexual violence. It also prepares policies that facilitate prosecution of perpetrators and furthers prevention of further acts of conflict-related sexual violemce. The Truth Commission is a transitional justice instrument seeking to clarify the most serious human rights violations committed in the recurring conflicts taking place in CAR. They also work to identify policies in favour of victims and non-recurrence, including a national reparation mechanism. GSF has been a key partner to both institutions, supporting their planning process and providing technical support in creating a roadmap for a reparation policy.

In August 2023, GSF collaborated with Professor Ruth Rubio, a member of our Board of Directors, to organise a workshop on the right to reparation for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. The workshop was attended by representatives from the Commission and other authorities within the Strategic Committee, as well as survivors, and different civil society organisations. 

More from the Central African Republic

See more

 

Scroll to top