This document represents a paper on Women’s Right to Abortion after Rape in Sudan. At first sight, Sudan’s liberalization of abortion rights in 1991 would seem to be welcome step forward for Sudanese women. The Islamist state expanded the circumstances under which a woman can seek a legal abortion to include rape. At second sight, however, the law reform seems to have had little practical significance for rape victims, since it is extremely difficult to prove rape and failure to do so may result in prosecution for zina. While emergency contraceptives were distributed in the war struck Darfur region as part of rape kits, the 2009 ICC process made it considerably more difficult for women to access them, both because of the expulsion of international NGOs distributing rape kits and because the government has insisted that only government hospitals may distribute emergency contraceptive. Most, if not all, Sudanese women who become pregnant after rape either end up with an unwanted child or seek an illegal abortion. Although educated middle and upper class women may have the means to access private clinics and networks of medical personnel who can perform safe illegal abortions, uneducated and poor women who seek unsafe abortion performed by untrained midwives are significantly more likely to be arrested and more likely to face post-abortion complications

CAWTAR | 2017-12-22 11:57:57

Papers

Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI)

Violence against women // Gender based violence// Women's rights // Rape// Right to Abortion // Sexual violence//Indicator//Family law// Marital violence//Marital rape//Women rights// Human rights// Adultary// Family laws//International instruments //Domestic violence//