Day 9 - Refugees International

Since its founding thirty years ago, Refugees International (RI) has been at the forefront of advocacy efforts on behalf of displaced people in areas of crisis around the world.  From Burma to Kosovo to Sudan, RI has lobbied for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and refugees and promoted lasting solutions to displacement crises.

RI has consistently focused its attention and research on sexual violence against Darfuri women. In June 2007, it released a report titled Laws Without Justice: An Assessment of Sudanese Laws Affecting Survivors of Rape, which detailed the mass rape being committed by armed militias in Darfur. The report focused on the myriad barriers to justice facing survivors, highlighting the inability of Darfuri women to access arbitration systems or to report sexual assaults without risking further abuse. RI reported that even in cases where sexual violence is reported, holding perpetrators accountable is nearly impossible, for reasons that include deep flaws in the Sudanese legal system and the near total immunity from prosecution enjoyed by perpetrators affiliated with the Sudanese state or military.

Building on this research, RI released Ending Sexual Violence in Darfur: An Advocacy Agenda, calling for peacekeeping missions in Darfur to devote the necessary resources, including female troops, to confront sexual violence. RI continues to lead advocacy efforts to help survivors of violence access medical care and report crimes without facing punishment. Calling on the U.S. and the international community to properly fund programs devoted to protecting women from sexual violence, RI also advocates for a political solution to end to the conflict in Darfur and the sexual violence which has been a defining part of it. RI continually emphasizes the importance of engaging women in the reintegration process, making vocational training programs for women more responsive to their cultural and situational limitations, investing in programs to address gender-based violence across Sudan including in the South and transitional areas, and increasing donor funding to expand programming to new areas. For their continuing dedication to ensuring lifesaving services and lasting solutions for displaced people, and unique emphasis on displaced women, we honor Refugees International as one of our 16 Leaders.

Inform yourself about the status of refugees and IDPs in Sudan by visiting the Save Darfur Coalition’s collection of resources and reports related to sexual violence.