The programme ‘Empowering Women for Sustainable Development’ of the European Union in the Central African Republic

When Peace is not Peaceful : Violence against Women in the Central African Republic

Results of a Baseline Study on Perceptions and Rates of Incidence of Violence against Women

This project is financed by the The project is implemented by Mercy European Union Corps in partnership with the Central African Women’s Organisation

When Peace is not Peaceful: Violence Against Women in the Central African Republic

Report of results from a baseline study on perceptions of women’s rights and incidence of violence against women

— Executive Summary —

Mercy Corps Central African Republic is currently implementing a two-year project funded by the European Commission, in partnership with the Organization of Central African Women, to empower women to become active participants in the country’s development. The program has the following objectives: to build the capacities of local women’s associations to contribute to their own development and to become active members of civil society; and to raise awareness amongst both men and women of laws protecting women’s rights and to change attitudes regarding violence against women. The project is being conducted in the four zones of Bangui, Bouar, Bambari and Bangassou.

For many women in the Central African Republic, violence is a reality of daily life. In recent years, much attention has been focused on the humanitarian crisis in the north, where a February 2007 study conducted by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs highlighted the horrific problem of violence against women in conflict-affected areas, finding that 15% of women had been victims of sexual violence. 1 Yet little work has been done to understand the levels and impact of violence in the daily lives of women across the country, particularly in areas not affected by the ongoing conflict. This study looks at violence against women in the regions of Bangui, Bambari, Bangassou and Bouar, four towns in more stable areas outside of the conflict zone, in order to understand the attitudes of men and women toward women’s rights and incidences of violence against women in these four distinct areas of the country.

This report presents the results of a quantitative and qualitative baseline study conducted with 432 men and women in Bangui, Bouar, Bambari and Bangassou in June and July 2009. The study’s major objectives were to serve as a baseline for evaluating the impact of Mercy Corps’ women’s rights programming and to gather more information about the broader problem of violence against women in the four target areas. The study measured four indicators: men and women’s awareness of what laws exist to protect women and what constitutes a violation of women’s rights; the circumstances under which violence against women was considered acceptable; incidences of violence against women; and the types of services that women sought when different rights were violated. The study used a random cluster sampling technique to select urban and rural areas within each of the four cities in order to give a representative sample of the target population, and 10 focus group discussions were held with both men and women to deepen the understanding of the results.

The study found that women’s rights violations in the Central African Republic are widespread, and women are widely perceived to be inferior to men. This inferior status engenders many forms of violence: physical, emotional, sexual and economic, with implications for women’s health, emotional and psychological well-being and their ability to participate in and contribute to their family’s economic livelihoods. Predominating gender

1 1 “Over 15 percent of women and girls subjected to sexual violence in CAR’s crisis zones” http://hdptcar.net/blog/2008/02/22/over-15-percent-of-women-and-girls-subjected-to-sexual-violence-in-cars- crisis-zones/. Accessed July 29, 2009. See also http://children.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/04/10/sexual- violence-in-car/

roles dictate that women should submit to their husbands, while most men assert themselves as the head of household with the right, if not the responsibility, to ‘correct’ their wives.

The key findings of the study are the following:

1 in 4 women across the four towns have experienced physical violence at the hands of their partner in the past year. Bangui had the highest rate of physical violence with 33% of women reporting at least one incidence in the last year, while 31% of women in Bambari, 23% in Bangassou and 18% of women in Bouar reported the same.

Sexual violence is pervasive, with 1 in 7 women reporting that they have experienced rape or marital rape in the past year. Six percent of women surveyed had been raped in the past year and 12% reported marital rape. Disaggregated figures for rape are particularly startling: 10.4% of women in Bambari reported having been raped within the last year, 8.3% in Bangassou; 4.1% in Bangui and 2.1% in Bouar.

1 in 3 women across the survey area reported that they are excluded from financial decisions in their households.

Male and female focus groups spoke of the woman’s obligation to be submissive and of the man’s duty to be powerful and in charge, using violence to retain control over his family. Many individuals referred to religious texts, both the Bible and Koran, when justifying women’s inferior status.

There was a general understanding among both female and male focus group members that men had to the “right” to do as they wished within their families. Male respondents did not recognize that violence was a choice, but instead used words such as “obliged,” “required” or “forced” when speaking of their role of correcting their wives.

Over 50% of the population surveyed indicated that it is acceptable to use violence against women under some circumstances, though over 90% of both male and female respondents reported that beating a woman was “bad”. This disparity between what respondents viewed as “bad” and what they viewed as “acceptable” is rooted in the

2

cultural belief that men had the right and responsibility to correct their wives. Many more women than men- 71% compared to 33%- thought it was acceptable to use violence against women when women had not properly performed their domestic tasks.

Research showed that many domestic conflicts arose over disputes over money and financial decisions. Focus group research indicated a clear need to promote non- violent conflict resolution strategies between couples.

Many men interviewed in focus groups indicated that men were extremely alienated by the idea of women’s rights. They felt that men were losing their traditional place within the family and society, that they were no longer respected, and that the authorities always sided with the women.

Half of respondents did not believe that men and women have the same rights. However, focus groups indicated that there was a widespread lack of understanding on the part of both men and women of what a right actually is and how it is defended. Though respondents indicated that a list of actions were violations of women’s rights, focus groups respondents were hard pressed to name a single women’s right.

Most men and women interviewed see domestic violence as an internal family issue, and only seek the help of local authorities or police in the case of rape, as illustrated by the following table:

Type of Service sought violation No one Family Local Police Doctor Lawyer Authorities Beating 2% 56% 28% 4% 1% 5% Rape 1% 11% 40% 21% 8% 18% Marital 21% 54% 16% 2% 1% 2% Rape Confiscation 3% 26% 33% 10% 0% 27% of widow’s goods

Women of all demographic groups are survivors of violence: all religions, all income levels, and all education levels showed high rates of domestic violence, sexual violence and economic violence. Personal income was the only indicator which had any effect on reducing rates of violence.

This study is significant because it demonstrates that violence against women is a pervasive problem throughout the Central African Republic, even in areas of the country that are not currently experiencing conflict. While the rates of physical and sexual violence found in the survey are indeed high, focus group interviews suggest that the rates are even higher than the survey results indicate. Most participants in the focus groups agreed that domestic violence was a frequent problem in their community – almost all women had stories of abuse they or their family members had endured. The high number of women who reported being raped in the last year is particularly alarming, and there is good reason to believe that the true

3

numbers are even higher. The study also illustrates that violence affects women across all of the four areas, all religions groups, all income brackets, and all education levels. Violence against women is not restricted to one class or demographic group, but is problem that touches women in all communities.

Conclusions

The information gathered in this study has particular implications for Mercy Corps’ current programming, as well as for other efforts to promote women’s equality and women’s rights gains in the country. The study found that much more effort is needed in the area of civic and rights education with both men and women to emphasize the role of rights in protecting women’s well-being and how individuals can protect and uphold their rights. In particular, much work needs to be done with both men and women to understand that it is not the ‘right’ of a man to beat his wife and to reduce the level of acceptance of violence against women. Notably, nearly twice as many women as men reported that it was acceptable for a man to beat his wife in a variety of circumstances, from poor housework to suspected adultery.

Mercy Corps’ women’s rights programming will therefore use a behavior change approach which will focus on modifying these accepted gender roles, showing adapted models of masculinity in which men play a strong role within the household while promoting dialogue and women’s participation in decision-making as alternatives to violence. Programming will emphasize the fact that violence is a choice, and will include sensitization work to promote dialogue within couples regarding financial decision-making. It is our belief that by both educating women and men about women’s rights and promoting positive examples of male behavior which denounce violence against women, the program will help community members to adapt non-violent behaviors that are culturally appropriate and accepted by both men and women. This programming aims to have the overall impact of reducing the incidence of domestic violence over the course of two years within the target communities.

With respect to the high levels of sexual violence, there was a clear understanding that rape was a violation of a woman’s rights and thus more robust legal enforcement seems to be most promising approach to reduce these high levels of violence. The country’s tumultuous political context and weak law enforcement and judicial structures stand as a barrier to the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of all types of violence against women. Women spoke of inaccessibility of legal structures, particularly to those without means to pay for justice. Survivors of such violence need access to a coordinated medical, legal, and psychosocial support system that can help them recover from and seek justice for the abuses they have endured.

In order to achieve an overall reduction in violence against women, it is imperative that there be a parallel engagement on the part of the local authorities, the police and the courts to change community norms which accept violence against women and to increase services available to women who are victims of violence. Local authorities, already a respected entity within the communities, are the most commonly consulted in cases of domestic and sexual violence. They should be trained to use their influence to change community norms to promote non-violent relationships and to collaborate with law enforcement authorities in cases of sexual assault, training which Mercy Corps hopes to carry out in the course of this project. The capacity building of law enforcement and courts, also critical to a coordinated response to violence against women, falls outside of the scope of the current project, but Mercy Corps hopes to expand its current programming in the future to incorporate this prevention work with law enforcement authorities. 4

Behavior change on this scale is a certainly a challenge. However, the incidence of violence against women in the Central African Republic is too high to ignore. The scale of the problem merits increased attention, funding, and commitment by all stakeholders to promote women’s rights gains within the country.

5