Reported rapes double in Kenya crisis areas: U.N.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Reported cases of rape and sexual attacks against women have doubled in areas of Kenya hit by political violence amid a climate of impunity for gangs carrying them out, a senior U.N. official said on Tuesday.

In an interview with Reuters, Kathleen Cravero, director of the world body's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, called for aid programs in the East African nation to make sure that vulnerable women and girls were protected from attack.

The disputed re-election of Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki in a December 27 vote unleashed weeks of ethnic and political violence that have killed at least 650 people and left around 250,000 others homeless.

"In Nairobi hospital and in the medical centers and hospitals around the areas of greatest violence, the number of rapes and sexual attacks being reported by women and being handled by medical personnel has doubled," Cravero said.

"What that tells us is that we have a very serious problem indeed because only a small percentage of rapes and sexual attacks are ever reported in Kenya or in many other countries."

Cravero stopped short of directly accusing the Kenyan government of ignoring the problem but said the political violence had led to "an environment that is tolerating very high levels of rape and sexual attack against women".

She said she was sure there was targeting of women for political or ethnic reasons although there was no evidence that either side was particularly responsible. But much of the sexual violence was opportunistic, she said.

"Gangs find a woman who's searching for firewood, gangs find a couple of young girls that are fetching water," Cravero said. "There's nothing to stop them, there's a climate of impunity, they're sure there will be no consequences, so it happens, and this is what we have to stop."

Cravero said her bureau, part of the U.N. Development Program, was trying to help the Kenyan government "get a handle on exactly how big the problem is, what's driving it and where it's most prevalent", and then take action.

"We're calling on all recovery programs that are put in place in Kenya to keep this vulnerability in mind and to make sure that women are protected ... and ... ensure that there is no impunity for these crimes".

Cravero suggested that community patrols could help protect women as they went about their daily tasks.

A "strong message" needed to go out "that the government of Kenya will not tolerate this treatment of women", she said.

No political solution has yet been found to Kenya's crisis and Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga have still not met to discuss a way out. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Kenya on Tuesday to try to mediate.

(Editing by Stuart Grudgings)