Dear Secretary Clinton:

Following the Sudanese government’s expulsion of over a dozen humanitarian organizations from Darfur in March 2009, Darfuri civilians who survive rape and other sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) have been left without access to key services including emergency treatment for injuries, documentation of injuries, access to HIV/AIDS prophylactic treatment, pregnancy testing and psychological and social support.

As the U.S. works to help broker peace in Darfur and facilitate effective humanitarian aid operations, please prioritize the restoration of GBV services along with other “life-saving” sectors like protection and food security. The restoration of GBV services must be a key benchmark for evaluating the United States’ policy toward Sudan and the Obama administration’s engagement of the Khartoum regime.

We must protect the rights of Darfuri women and girls and not allow the Government of Sudan, which has denied the very existence of rape in the region, to succeed in wiping out services for survivors.

Thank you for your commitment to civilians in Darfur, Sudan. I look forward to your leadership on this issue.