Mali: Conflict increases gender-based violence

| January 6, 2023

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Maimounata Touré lives in the city of Gao, near the Niger River in Mali. On June 12, 2012, Mrs. Touré was doing housework when a group of armed men in a vehicle kidnapped her and, over the course of a week, repeatedly raped and physically abused her. For two months, Mrs. Touré felt traumatized and unable to tell her relatives what had happened for fear of being judged. But her family, sensing that something was wrong, encouraged her to visit the local hospital. Mrs. Touré agreed and began receiving care from a psychologist, gynaecologist, and the Regional Directorate for the Promotion of Women, Children, and the Family. Since 2012, an upsurge in terrorism by armed groups in Mali has forced many people to flee their homes and communities. The growing insecurity is reflected in a great increase in the rate of violence in the country, especially gender-based violence. Statistics show that 99% of those affected are women and 36% of these women experience some form of sexual abuse.

Maimounata Touré lives in the city of Gao, near the Niger River in Mali. Today, she is recalling what happened to her on June 12, 2012. At 10 in the morning, Mrs. Touré was doing housework when a group of armed men in a vehicle kidnapped her and, over the course of a week, repeatedly raped and physically abused her. 

For two months, Mrs. Touré felt traumatized and unable to tell her relatives what had happened for fear of being judged. But her family, sensing that something was wrong, encouraged her to visit the local hospital. Mrs. Touré agreed and began receiving care from a psychologist who helped her process the experience mentally and emotionally. 

Later, she saw a gynaecologist, a doctor who specializes in female reproductive health. The doctor examined her reproductive organs to see how Mrs. Touré was physically affected by the multiple rapes.

Mrs. Touré says she also benefited from the services of the Mali Regional Directorate for the Promotion of Women, Children, and the Family. Health professionals, including a gynaecologist and a psychologist, met with her regularly. She had weekly appointments, all paid for by the service providers.

Since 2012, an upsurge in terrorism by armed groups in Mali has forced many people to flee their homes and communities. The growing insecurity is reflected in a great increase in the rate of violence in the country, especially gender-based violence. Women are disproportionately impacted by conflict, with rape cases increasing and perpetrators rarely punished. 

According to a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the rate of gender-based violence in Mali has continued to increase. The data show that 99% of those affected are women and 36% of these women experience some form of sexual abuse.

Aïssata Sango is the Regional Director at the Ministry for the Promotion of Women, Children, and the Family in Gao. She says that, between 2012 and 2022, many women survivors of violence have received support from her department—more than 300 women in the past few months alone. Ms. Sango explains that the ministry provides women with the physical and psychological care to help them overcome the trauma of gender-based violence. With the high demand for its services, Ms. Sango says the ministry needs additional qualified psychologists to ensure that women receive quality care—and quickly.

An NGO based in Gao called the Women’s Research, Study and Training Group also supports women survivors of sexual violence. In addition to providing medical and psychological care, the organization offers legal advice and support to women who want to file a complaint or take legal action against perpetrators of gender-based violence. 

During 2012, services like these were only working at half-capacity because of the insecurity. But in recent years, the services have started to function normally and adapt to the evolving insecurity in Mali. 

Mrs. Touré is hopeful that justice will one day be served. She says, “I am confident and believe that one day my perpetrator will be punished.” 

She encourages women to try to seek local services, as she did. 

This resource was produced through the “HÉRÈ – Women’s Well-Being in Mali” initiative, which aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health well-being of women and girls and to strengthen the prevention of and response to gender-based violence in Sikasso, Ségou, Mopti, and the district of Bamako in Mali. The project is implemented by the HÉRÈ – MSI Mali Consortium, in partnership with Farm Radio International (RRI) and Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) with funding from Global Affairs Canada.

Maimounata Touré’s name was changed in this story to protect her privacy.

Photo: Doctor examines patients. Nigeria. Credit: Curt Carnemark / World Bank.