Gender-based violence (GBV) has reached alarming proportions in the Central African Republic (CAR), particularly in the wake of the crisis that has been afflicting the country for several years. This situation is exacerbated by socio-cultural norms that are unfavorable to women and girls, despite the existence of policies and legislation. Violence against civilians and insecurity in localities outside urban centers continue to increase the vulnerability of several million people, including women, whose livelihoods are being eroded and whose access to food and basic services, including health care and water, is severely limited. 2.8 million people - 46 per cent of the population – are so vulnerable in 2024 that humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient to restore their well-being.

An alarming rise

Although internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees are often the most visible face of the crisis in CAR, GBV, especially sexual violence, has recently reached particularly worrying levels. Every hour in CAR, more than two people are victims of GBV, mostly women and girls. In the first half of this year alone, over 11,000 cases of GBV were reported. During the second quarter of this year, more than 6,000 cases of GBV (32 per cent of rape, 28 per cent of physical assault, 17 per cent of deprivation of resources, 15 per cent of psychological violence, 5 per cent of sexual assault, 3 per cent of forced marriage) were reported. 96 per cent of survivors are women and girls. Among the types of GBV, rape cases (32 per cent) remain the most reported. According to statistics from the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) collected by dedicated services in 2023, reported GBV incidents had increased by 1,910 cases, which is an 8 per cent rise compared to 23,644 cases reported in 2022. The prolonged humanitarian crisis, which causes increasing stress within households, leads to the adoption of negative coping mechanisms such as survival sex and early marriage of girls, exacerbating GBV and predominantly affecting thousands of women and girls.

Surviving or facing risks

This is the challenging choice that many women sometimes have to make in CAR, in a context where access to livelihoods such as fields, as well as to basic services such as water and health care, is severely restricted by insecurity resulting from the conflict. The annual multi-sectoral humanitarian needs assessments indicated a feeling of insecurity for at least 25 per cent of surveyed households, showing risks for women and girls in accessing water, wood collection areas, and other distribution points. These locations are of critical importance for the daily survival of households, yet they particularly expose women and girls to high risks of GBV, including sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, domestic violence, survival sex, forced marriage, and denial of resources, among others.

A challenge for available resources

In the 2024 first quarter, only 28 per cent of GBV survivors received psychosocial support and medical care within the required 72 hours, 14.5 per cent received legal assistance and only 4.5 per cent received livelihood assistance. In February, the Humanitarian Coordinator allocated US$ 3 million from the CAR Humanitarian Fund to address the gap in GBV interventions and foster innovation, which represents 25 per cent of required funding for the GBV area of responsibility under the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan. Due to the lack of funding, many if subjected to GBV do not receive timely and required services and assistance they deserve. Attacks on health infrastructures by parties to the conflict make it also difficult for GBV survivors to receive medical assistance, and for the population as a whole to access health care services. Confrontations between parties to the conflict have led to the closure of a number of health facilities, depriving thousands of life-saving health care services. For instance, in April, armed clashes in the south-east region deprived 5,000 people of medical care.