Civil conflict sexual violence and HIV / AIDS. Challenges for children in Sierra Leone.

The role of civil conflicts in the spread of HIV/AIDS in sub- Saharan Africa cannot be overstated. Most determinants of the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa--including migration (often forced) the disruption of communities poverty and the breakdown of law and order--are exacerbated during civil conflicts. Opportunities for sexual mixing also increase at such times especially in refugee camps and camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) where people of various cultural backgrounds find themselves thrown together. The result is often sexual violence including the rape of children. In the civil war in Sierra Leone the military itself was the most guilty of sexual violence. The military is composed of the national army the West Side Boys the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)/AFRC the Civil Defense Forces (CDF) and the international peacekeeping troops. Very recently aid workers from NGOs have also been implicated as perpetrators of sexual violence. The RUF fighters were notorious for subjecting girls to gang rape. The CDF and the national army engaged in both forcible rape and statutory rape (which occurs when young girls engage in "voluntary" sex with a soldier for status security or food). The international peacekeeping forces were mostly engaged in paying minors (below eighteen years) for sex while aid workers traded food for sex with minors. (excerpt)