Independent:
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The first victim came forward two months ago, followed by two more. All were mothers of children whom the London-trained child psychologist was treating, and all described how they were raped by militiamen fighting to keep Col Gaddafi in power. Dr Sergewa decided to add a question about rape to the survey she was distributing to Libyans living in refugee camps after being driven from their homes. The main purpose was to try to determine how children were faring in the war; she suspected many were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
To her surprise, 259 women came forward with accounts of rape, which has been a common weapon of war throughout the ages, most recently in conflicts in the Balkans, Sri Lanka and in sub-Saharan Africa, where Congo has been described as the epicentre of sexual crimes.
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Dr Sergewa's questionnaire was distributed to 70,000 families and drew 59,000 responses. "We found 10,000 people with PTSD, 4,000 children suffering psychological problems and 259 raped women," she said, adding that she believes the number of rape victims is many times higher but that woman are afraid to report the attacks. The women said they had been raped by Col Gaddafi's militias in numerous cities and towns: Benghazi, Tobruk, Brega, Bayda, Ajdabiya (where the initial three mothers hail from) and Saloum in the east; and Misrata in the west.
Some just said they had been raped. Some did not sign their names; some just used their initials. But some felt compelled to share the horrific details of their ordeals on the back of the questionnaire. Reading from the scribbled Arabic on the back of one form, Dr Sergewa described an attack in Misrata in March, while it was still occupied by Col Gaddafi's forces. "First they tied my husband up," the woman wrote. "Then they raped me in front of my husband and my husband's brother. Then they killed my husband." Another woman in Misrata said she was raped in front of her four children after pro-Gaddafi fighters burned down her home.
Doctors at hospitals in Benghazi, the rebel stronghold, said they had heard of women being raped but had not treated any. However, a doctor in Ajdabiya, 100 miles south of Benghazi, said he had treated three women who said they were raped by fighters loyal to Col Gaddafi in March, when the town was invaded. "These women were terrified their families would find out – two were married, one was single," Dr Suleiman Refadi said. "They only came to me because they were terrified that they may have been infected with HIV." He added that the women had tested negative, but doubted they would return for follow-up tests.
Earlier this month, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said he had "strong evidence" of crimes against humanity committed by Col Gaddafi's regime, including allegations of "women arrested and gang-raped". One of Libya's leading psychiatrists, Dr Ali M Elroey, told the Associated Press that he has set up three mobile teams to treat trauma victims of the war in their homes or in temporary shelters: one for PTSD, one for other psychological problems and one for rape survivors.
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This is a very cruel form of warfare, but it is not uncommon in places like Africa. Finding and prosecuting the rapist in the ranks will be a difficult job, assuming that the rebels win. If they do not win, then women in Libya will be at risk for further atrocities and humiliation.
Image via Wikipedia
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