Rape tops the list of complaints that reach police stations and courts in Wau, according to authorities in the capital of Western Bahr El Ghazal. Between 4 to 6 rape cases are reported per day in Wau, said the head of the city police station, Major Martin James.

Judicial and law-enforcement authorities describe the crime as a serious social and security problem in the state, but note that the number of rape cases has gone down compared to past years. Lieutenant James stated that the number of incidents increases during youth parties and trips. He added that a number of cases are not reported because families believe that rape crimes harm the reputation of a girl, resulting in many cases ending up being solved as civil problems within neighbourhoods instead of being reported to the police.

One victim in Wau told Radio Tamazuj the story of her attempted rape. The girl who is under the age of 18 was staying with a male cousin brought from the countryside while her brothers were away. Her mother, a falafel-maker, had gone out of the house to sell falafel in the evening near the house, leaving her alone.

She recounted that her cousin came and gave her twenty-five pounds and left for a while before coming back to tell her to keep the twenty-five pounds and that he would come her for her later and that she should leave the door open. After they had had their dinner and gone to bed, the young girl suddenly saw light from a lighter near her bed.

“I asked who it was,” the girl said. “And his voice replied asking me if I was dreaming. After that he got into the mosquito nets.” According to the girl, he placed the lighter under the pillow and started touching her. She tried to resist him.

“I asked him what he was doing but he told me not raise my voice and that it was something normal and kept trying to hold me close,” she said.

According to the prosecutor of the High Court, Kamal Daifan, rape crimes are dangerous, affecting the security of the nation and at the same shaking families to the core, leaving social side-effects within families.

When asked what the court does regarding rape cases, he replied, “After the case is reported, the victim is taken to the hospital for medical check-up. This is very important because it is the main testimony we have. Then based on it a complaint is filed and witnesses are questioned, if there are witnesses. Any other information provided strengthens the case and then the prosecutor completes the remaining procedures and takes the case to court.”

The head of the judiciary in Western Bahr El Ghazal, Hon. Charles Abyei stated that the punishment for the crime ranges between one month to fourteen years in jail, depending on the severity of violence used by the rapist on the victim. But he also revealed that the rate of rape crimes, despite being continuously reported, has now dropped significantly compared to last year.