Are women and girls in refugee settlements easy prey to criminals?

Cooking pots on fire, boiling some food. This is a typical fireplace in Rhino camp. Picture by Ochan Hannington | 12 Jul 2018

UN High Commissioner for Refugees report indicates over 800 crimes were reported in refugee settlements in West Nile, between January and October 2018. It is believed many others go unreported. Although no one is able to pinpoint exactly what the problem is, majority of the crimes that occur in settlements are against women and girls.

High numbers of crimes are worrying. UNHCR/UNDP in partnership with Legal Aid Services Network (LASPNET) carry out sensitization in order to help refugees acquaint themselves with matters of the law. They think this is a more sustainable approach to bringing down crime rate, in settlements across the country. Emmanuel Obeid travelled to Arua town, and compiled this report (entirely using a mobile phone).