Somali women in refugee camps at risk of rape

[December 07, 2010]  GALKAYO, Somalia (AP) -- Aid workers in Somalia say they are seeing an alarming number of rapes in refugee camps housing those who fled violence in Mogadishu.

The Galkayo Education Center for Peace and Development said it has documented 51 cases of rape against women in camps in the Somali town of Galkayo this year. Last year the center documented 104 cases. Many cases go unreported.

To draw attention to the plight of Somalia's internally displaced, Antonio Guterres, the head of the U.N.'s refugee agency, toured refugee camps last week.

Somalia hasn't had a central government for nearly 20 years. The U.N. refugee agency says more than 12,000 people have fled Mogadishu since Oct. 1.

[Associated Press]

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