In November 2008 BCRHHR affiliates Lin Piwowarczyk, Sondra Crosby, and a team of other medical professionals traveled to the Farchana Refugee Camp in eastern Chad with Physicians for Human Rights and Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.

The doctors set out to assess the living conditions for the women as well as the incidence of sexual violence in the camp document the lasting impacts of the rape and sexual violence experienced by the women in the camp. The team was able to meet some of the authors of The Farchana Manifesto. 

Here is their message to women:

Freedom for Women in the Farchana Refugee Camp

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

“We, the women of Farchana Camp, have many concerns and problems with the lack of freedom and having the opportunity to speak about freedom.

We can assign these problems to a number of items, including the following:

1) Lack of opportunity for freedom of speech, and no one to listen to what women say.

2) Lack of freedom to go to work or engage in life’s activities. If a woman is working in some occupations, responsibility is left to the woman alone in all cases, such as: illness, home activities, and responsibility for the children. While the man does what he wants with money, the responsibility is left to the woman.

3) Lack of women’s equality. One man, if he has the notion, can have one wife or two or more wives.

4) Lack of freedom for women even with their own private property; for example: money, gold, household pots and pans, and livestock.

5) Women are not allowed to make contact with people outside the community. For example: visiting neighbors, family, and friends. And women are not allowed [illegible] to travel far, and if he allows her, he does not give her money, and he tells her, “This trip is of your own accord.”

6) Lack of acceptance of higher education and universities to enable women to get ahead.

7) Failure to encourage girls in the schools and leaving the responsibility to the mothers.

8) Failure of fathers to take responsibility for girls. If something happens, the mother is blamed, and they make her hear harsh words from the family, and sometimes divorce even takes place.

9) Outside chores, such as: [illegible], provisions, construction, and feeding livestock — that is, all physical demands — are the responsibility of the woman.

10) Failure to show confidence in women, such as leaving the house without the man’s knowledge and he tells her, “You went out to commit adultery.”

11) Failure to value the life of the woman. They only value her in bed. They like a lot of births, but they do not like raising sons and children.

12) Early marriage for girls and compulsory marriage without consent.

13) In the case of meetings, women do not have the freedom to speak at organizations; only men’s statements are heard.

14) Women do not know how to submit their complaints — the place and the organization that is concerned about them.

Thank you. We hope to achieve freedom for women in the whole world.”

Learn more at : http://darfuriwomen.phrblog.org/