They fled the war, but now female Sudanese refugees say they are being forced to have sex to survive

The war in Sudan has a devastating impact on women and girls. To ease access to aid, jobs and promises of money, some female Sudanese refugees say they have been sexually exploited in Chad.

Such sexual exploitation is a crime in the Sahel nation.

“We came to Chad and the food they gave us wasn’t enough, so I slept with a man and gave birth to this child. I had four children (from marriage), this is the fifth child. I had to because they don’t give us enough to eat.”

The 27-year-old mother cradled her lastborn, who she said was the child of a counselor who promised her money in exchange for sex. The women who spoke to the AP requested anonymity because they feared retaliation from the men they said exploited them.

The women and girls interviewed at the Adre camp, near the border with Sudan, alleged that the men who exploited them included humanitarian workers and local security forces.

A 19-year-old refugee said she saw many of her own relatives killed before her eyes before fleeing. She arrived at Aboutengue camp with her mother.

“Living conditions were difficult for us in the camp, so I started working in the sex industry with the intention of covering our household expenses,” she said. She also gave birth to a child after engaging in sex work. “Now I regret what happened.”

Ali Mahamat Sebey, the prefect of the area, called the accusations against the security forces false.

The majority of Sudanese refugees in Chad are women. Aid groups are struggling to support them in the growing refugee camps.

“The fact that help is not enough for them may be a reason for them to opt for survival sex.”

The UN Refugee Agency said displaced persons camps have “safe spaces” where women can gather, along with a toll-free hotline and feedback boxes to report abuse anonymously.

However, using the boxes could attract the attention that some women fear; many didn’t even know they existed.