Sexual Violence in Africa: Rights, Justice and Support for Survivors
Sexual violence in Africa: forms, what to do in the first 72 hours, what the Maputo Protocol and national laws say, and how RFLD supports survivors.
Last updated · October 6, 2026
Sexual violence is any sexual act imposed on a person without their consent. In Africa it affects women and girls at home, at school, at work, online and in conflict zones. Survivors have a right to care, to justice and to reparation.
In the first 72 hours, go to a health centre as soon as you can. Health workers can provide treatment to prevent HIV (post-exposure prophylaxis), emergency contraception, care for injuries and a medical certificate. You do not need to file a police complaint to receive care. Our SAFE page explains how to get help discreetly.
Survivor Support Toolkit
Free tools for women and girls who have lived through violence, and for the people supporting them. Nothing you type here is saved, sent or stored. It disappears when you close the page.
1. What to do now: your next steps
Choose the situation closest to yours. You decide what to do and when.
- If you are in danger right now, move to a room with an exit and no weapons, or leave to a neighbour, a shop or any public place. Call the police or someone you trust.
- Get medical care for any injury, even if it looks small. Ask the health worker to record the injuries. A medical certificate helps if you file a complaint later.
- Make your safety plan with the tool below: trusted person, code word, documents, money, where to go.
- Keep a private record of what happens, only if it is safe for you. Use the incident diary below and print or send it to someone you trust.
- Talk to a women’s organisation. They can listen, help you think through your options and go with you to the police, the health centre or a lawyer. Start from our Get Support page.
- Know the law in your country with the finder below. Many countries now punish domestic violence and offer protection orders.
- Go to a safe place and, if you can, to someone you trust.
- Seek medical care within 72 hours if possible. A health centre can give treatment to prevent HIV, emergency contraception (most effective as early as possible, up to 5 days), care for injuries and a medical certificate. You can receive care without filing a complaint.
- If you may report later, keep the clothes you wore in a paper bag and avoid washing if you can. It is still your choice.
- Write down what you remember when you feel able: date, place, who, what was said. Use the incident diary below.
- Ask for emotional support. Shock, numbness, fear or anger are normal reactions. A counsellor or a women’s organisation can help. The calming exercise below can help in difficult moments.
- Decide about justice in your own time. A legal aid organisation can explain the steps and time limits in your country.
- If you are held or controlled, look for a safe moment to contact the police, a hospital, a church, a mosque or a trusted organisation. Ask for help in your own language.
- You are not to blame, even if you agreed to travel or to the job. Debts imposed by traffickers are not real debts.
- Your documents belong to you. Nobody has the right to keep your passport or ID card.
- Ask for protection. Most African countries have an anti-trafficking agency or a specialised police unit. International standards say survivors must not be punished for offences they were forced to commit.
- Get care and support: medical care, a safe place to stay, legal advice and help to return home or rebuild your life.
- Before any job or travel offer, check it with a trusted organisation, keep copies of your documents and agree on regular contact with your family.
- Find the laws of your country with the finder below: violence, marriage, family, land and health.
- Know your regional rights. The Maputo Protocol protects women’s right to life, integrity and security, equality in marriage, access to justice and inheritance.
- Keep copies of your identity documents, marriage certificate, children’s birth certificates and any land or property papers.
- Ask for free legal aid. Many women’s organisations and bar associations offer it. Start from our Get Support page.
- Report discrimination. National human rights institutions and, when national remedies fail, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights can receive complaints.
- Believe her and listen without judging. Say: “It is not your fault. I am here for you.”
- Do not confront the abuser or trafficker. It can put her and you in danger.
- Let her decide. Offer options, never pressure her to leave, report or forgive.
- Offer practical help: keep a copy of her documents, a bag or some money, agree on a code word, go with her to a service.
- Protect her privacy. Never share her name, photo or story without her written consent.
- Take care of yourself too. Supporting someone through violence is hard.
2. Build your safety plan
Tick what applies and fill in what helps. Print it or save it as a PDF only if it is safe for you to keep it, or give it to someone you trust.
People I can call
Where I can go
Things to keep ready
My children and me
3. Incident diary
A simple record can support a complaint, a protection order or a medical file. Only keep it if it is safe for you. Nothing is saved on this site.
4. Find the laws that protect you
Choose your country to open its profile with the laws on violence, marriage, family, land and health on RFLD’s Dɔnùesè platform.
5. Stay safer online
- Use private browsing, or delete this page from your history.
- Change passwords and turn on two-step verification.
- Check which apps and people can see your location.
- Do not delete threatening messages: take screenshots with the date and keep them somewhere safe.
- Report intimate images shared without consent to the platform. See our African Digital Safety Compendium.
6. A moment to breathe
When fear or panic rises, follow the circle: breathe in as it grows, out as it shrinks. Then name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell and 1 you taste.
You are not alone
RFLD’s 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 African countries support survivors every day. Read survivors’ stories, find help on our SAFE page or contact us at admin@rflgd.org.
How common is sexual violence?
According to the World Health Organization, nearly one in three women worldwide (31.6%, about 840 million women and girls) has experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner, or sexual violence from someone else, during her life. Most cases are never reported, because of stigma, fear of reprisals and the cost and length of legal procedures.
Forms of sexual violence
- Rape and attempted rape, including within marriage and by people the survivor knows.
- Sexual harassment at work, at school, in universities, in public transport and online.
- Child sexual abuse, including sexual abuse linked to child and forced marriage.
- Sexual exploitation, when someone uses power, money or a person’s vulnerability to obtain sex, including trafficking for sexual exploitation.
- Conflict-related sexual violence, used as a weapon of war in parts of the Sahel, Central Africa and the Great Lakes.
- Online sexual abuse, such as sharing intimate images without consent or sextortion. See our findings on online violence in West and Central Africa.
What the law says
Article 4 of the Maputo Protocol requires States to prohibit all forms of violence against women, including unwanted or forced sex in private or public life, to punish perpetrators and to provide rehabilitation and reparation for survivors. Article 11 calls for the protection of women in armed conflict and treats sexual violence against them as a war crime, a crime against humanity or genocide when the conditions are met.
In 2007, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted Resolution 111 on the right to a remedy and reparation for women and girls who survive sexual violence. At national level, reforms are moving: Senegal made rape a serious crime in 2020 and Sierra Leone strengthened its Sexual Offences Act in 2019. Check the law in your country on our Dɔnùesè legislative platform.
Supporting a survivor
- Believe her and listen without judging. Sexual violence is never the survivor’s fault.
- Respect her choices: she decides whether to report, to whom and when.
- Protect her privacy. Never share her name, photo or story without her written consent.
- Help her reach medical care quickly, then psychological and legal support.
How RFLD responds
RFLD’s 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 African countries accompany survivors through listening centres, legal clinics and referral to health services. RFLD works with courts and justice actors to make procedures faster and safer for survivors, supports culturally adapted mental health care, and funds grassroots groups through the West African Feminist Fund. Our publications document survivors’ experiences, always with their consent.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do right after a sexual assault?
Go to a safe place and seek medical care as soon as possible, ideally within 72 hours. If you can, keep the clothes you wore in a paper bag and avoid washing, as this helps preserve evidence. Care is available even if you do not report to the police.
Is it too late to report if time has passed?
Not necessarily. Time limits depend on the country and on the offence, and they are often longer when the survivor was a child. A lawyer or a women’s legal aid organisation can tell you what applies.
Do I need a medical certificate to file a complaint?
In many West and Central African countries, a medical certificate strongly supports a complaint. In some places it is still charged to the survivor, and RFLD advocates for it to be free everywhere.
Can a sexual violence case be settled within the family?
Rape and sexual assault are crimes against the survivor and against society. Family or community settlements do not replace justice, and in many countries they have no legal value for these offences.
Sources
Advance gender justice with RFLD
A pan-African feminist network of 1,143 member organisations across 35+ countries — advocacy, research, re-granting and direct service delivery.