Fuelled 'by Viagra', Gaddafi's troops use rape as a weapon of war with children as young as EIGHT among the victims



Children as young as eight are being raped in front of their families by Gaddafi's forces in Libya, according to a leading charity.

Aid workers described horrific stories of widespread sexual abuse, including one incident in which a group of girls was abducted and held hostage for four days.

When they were finally released, they were too traumatised to speak.

Other children have described being forced to watch as their fathers were murdered and their mothers raped.

Devastation: The full extent of the destruction of Mirsrata became clear after a terrible battle between rebels and Gaddafi's troops

Spent shells: The city has been virtually destroyed by the onslaught which has raged for weeks

They told Save The Children that they themselves were then brually beaten before being released.

Harrowing stories of sexual assaults against women and children have emerged from those who have fled the besieged cities of Misrata, Ajdabia and Rus-Lanuf.

Many families are now in temporary refugee camps in Benghazi, where they talked to Save The Children staff.

Michael Mahrt, the charity's child protection adviser, said: 'The reports of sexual violence against children are unconfirmed but they are consistent and were repeated across the four camps we visited.



'Children told us they have witnessed horrendous scenes. Some said they saw their fathers murdered and mothers raped.

'They described things happening to other children but they may have actually happened to them and they are just too upset to talk about it - it's a typical coping mechanism used by children who have suffered such abuse.

'What is most worrying is that we have only been able to speak to a limited number of children - what else is happening to those who are trapped in Misrata and other parts of the country who do not have a voice?'.

Therapy: Libyan children draw pictures to express their feelings about the war in the rebel city of Benghazi

Tiniest victims: Meanwhile others use the tank as an impromptu climbing frame

Mr Mahrt said that some children are showing signs of physical and emotional distress; they are withdrawn, refuse to play and wake up crying in the night.

He added: 'Whenever some children hear a gun being fired they re-live the terrible ordeal they have been through. It is clear that for many of them, their suffering is far from over.'

There have been numerous reports of Gaddafi's troops - some fuelled by Viagra - using rape as a weapon of war.

In the most notorious example, 28-year-old Iman al-Obeidi claimed she was assaulted for two days by 15 men after being abducted at a checkpoint.

She was arrested after trying to tell her story to foreign journalists and has subsequently been charged with slander.

Doctors in Misrata have also treated patients who have been sexually assaulted.

But in a conservative society where rape is heavily stigmatised, many women will not tell even their close family what has happened to them.

Rebel spokesman Abdelbaset Abumzirig, who is based in Misrata, said that there has been a string of horrific assaults in Benghazi Street - parrallel to Tripoli Street where a maor battle for the city was fought.

'The Gaddafi forces took control of Benghazi Street before we managed to push them out,' he told Al Jazeera.

'They have been ordered to rape because this means they are insulting Misrata itself.'

Killed: The bodies of some of Gaddafi's fighters lie in the street in Misrata

Missing: A Libyan girl looks at pictures of citizens who went missing during fighting in Benghazi

He said that some families had spoken to human rights organisations about the assaults

'Some have spoken, some others, you know the old traditions, they didn't speak, but it's not a shame,' he added.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Dr Khalifa al-Sharkassi described how two sisters, aged 16 and 20, had been assaulted by African mercenaries after their brothers had joined the rebels.

The girls' mother was locked in another room while they were raped.

'Four or five Africans took turns raping both girls,' he said. '(Now) one of them just sits and cries and looks lost.'

He said another victim had tried to clean herself with bleach after being attacked.