A/HRC/31/76 cases of sexual violence is higher than the number reported because some victims choose not to make an official report, for fear of social stigmatization in their communities. In Imboguitane (5 km to the north of Anéfis), a woman reported that she had been raped three times by three armed men between 25 and 27 August 2015. The Independent Expert also received reports indicating that, in the same village, four attempted rapes were committed by members of the Platform one week after Anéfis was taken. According to those reports, none of the victims had sought treatment in a medical facility. 65. The Independent Expert welcomes the trust fund programme for the protection of victims of sexual violence and their access to justice, set up by the Human Rights Division in June 2015, to which the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is making a contribution of US$ 30,000. Fifteen women survivors will benefit from this programme. 66. The Independent Expert also welcomes the quick impact project launched on 24 October by the non-governmental organization Association femmes battues (Association of Battered Women). The project targets 106 displaced women who are survivors of serious human rights violations committed by armed extremist groups during the occupation of the north of Mali and survivors of sexual violence in the region of Timbuktu. D. The situation of children 67. The Independent Expert was informed that children have, on several occasions, been victims of violent clashes between armed groups. He was told that, on 29 April 2015 in Léré (230 km to the west of Timbuktu), four civilians, inc luding three children, had been wounded in armed clashes between CMA and the Malian army. On 18 August, in Inkadewen (75 km from Ménaka), in the Gao region, two children aged 6 and 8 were killed and three persons, two men and a child of 3 years, were injur ed following an improvised explosive device explosion. 68. The recruitment and use of children by armed groups is also a problem, with reports indicating the presence of children — some of them armed — at checkpoints. On 2 October, during a mission to Inbaram, some 8 km from Ménaka, in the Gao region, the Human Rights Division of MINUSMA noted the presence of at least five children, armed and wearing military fatigues, among GATIA elements. The Human Rights Division also interviewed a 16-year-old boy detained by elements of CMA in the premises of the Comité de sécurité mixte de l’Azawad à Kidal (CSMAK). He said that he had been recruited by GATIA and confirmed that he had been detained in May in Tin Fadimata, in the region of Gao, while taking part in the ho stilities. On 5 October, the Human Rights Division of MINUSMA observed at least three children among CPA elements. A human rights expert spoke to a 16 -year-old boy who said that he had voluntarily joined CPA in July 2015, together with other children (some seven in total). He mentioned that they were mainly involved in preparing food, but that they were also receiving military training. 69. The risk of sexual violence against children by members of armed groups remains high. In June, the Human Rights Division of MINUSMA recorded a case of rape of a 16-year-old girl by a member of the national guard in Mopti. 70. During meetings with members of civil society in Kidal, the Independent Expert was informed of the problems posed by the socioeconomic situation in the north of the country and the lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities that puts children at risk of life-threatening diseases. GE.16-00837 13/18