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By Ashraf Abdul Wahab.
Tripoli, 3 November 2013:
Very few cases of rape are reported in Libya. The head of the East Tripoli . . .[restrict]Prosecution Office, Nuri Bakai recently revealed that not a single case of rape had been submitted to the Attorney-General, which would have triggered an investigation by the prosecutor’s office.
Bakai said he believed that this was probably because sensitivities around rape mean that victims are reluctant to report attacks.
He was speaking during a debate on sexual violence put on by by Italian NGO No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) in Libya. Part of the Transitional Justice programme, the organisation is supported by both the Italian and British embassies.
The event attracted civil society organisations, members of the judiciary, law students, international NGOS, UNSMIL, embassies and international experts including Francesca Del Mese, who focuses on violence against women, rape and sexual harassment.
She explained how the repercussions of this crime went well beyond the crimes themselves. Therefore the follow-up for rape victims had to extend beyond the initial counselling, to effective support during the investigations and criminal proceedings against the rapists.
Mese pointed out that sexual violence and rape are not crimes confined to women, as there are many offences against males as well. In both cases there is often a reluctance to admit what has happened and a refusal to testify against the criminals. With female victims there is also the risk that because they have been violated, they would be rejected by their families.
The meeting was told that mobile counselling rooms, first developed in Morocco, were being used in Libya to allow rape victims to speak about their ordeal in total confidence. One Libyan organisation explained that in addition to counselling, it was providing financial support to help rape victims marry former Thuwar (revolutionary fighters), especially those who were amputees. However some attendees protested that marrying victims off in this way should be considered a further crime, as it did not take account of psychological and physical damage which could affect their marriages. [/restrict]
