The Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered decades of ongoing crisis, stretching back centuries. The roots date back to the country’s consistent struggle to gain independence from Belgium in 1960. Moreover, the First Congo War (1996-1997) and the Second Congo War (1998-2003) furthered the country’s instability, and even after the latter ended, ongoing regional violence and government forces have continued to negatively affect millions of civilians in the DRC. The conflict has continued to spread in recent years, with a vehement cycle of ongoing violence and displacement of millions of people. Specifically, this displacement is concentrated within North and South Kivu provinces, making the region coincidingly severely violent. The DCR’s long history of corrupt governance, competition over resources, and regional/ethnic cleavages—resulting from the Rwandan genocide — drive the ongoing government violence and human rights abuse that plagues the country. The country is afflicted by mass killings, torture, poverty, displacement, and sexual violence. The rampant sexual violence in the DRC is utilized as an apparent weapon of war, as children and women in the country continue to be victims of mass rapings and continuous sexual violence.
In an interview with the International Committee of the Red Cross, a 17 year old girl, Françoise shares her story: “With a group of other women, I started going to the forest to collect firewood for sale,” she said. “About two weeks ago, we came across a group of uniformed armed men. We ran and they chased us. Two of them caught me when I fell on the ground and couldn’t run any more. They raped me one by one. They didn’t say anything. I could see they were also scared…When I could stand up and walk, I returned to the camp, hiding my torn clothes. I was afraid I would get pregnant. I was afraid to tell anyone. I felt useless, scared and alone.”
Violence against women is used as a systematic tactic of war to destabilize populations and deconstruct social fabrics, stimulating physical and emotional trauma for women involved. Not only has this violence become more common in the DRC but increasingly rampant in recent years. Reports from the DRC show that sexual violence ranges from gang rape, sexual slavery, mutilation of women’s genitals, and various other horrors. Statistics estimate that more than 1 millions of the country’s women and girls are subjected to sexual violence. With children younger than only ten years of age being victims of sexual violence and rape.
As sexual violence increasing permeates the Congo alongside other African countries, it is crucial that the rest of the world becomes aware and involved in helping those affected by the devasting violence. This awareness is demonstrated through the creation of groups that seek to aid women in the Congo, such as the Panzi Foundation which offers care to survivors of sexual violence and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) which assists survivors in various regions through various facets of support. Not only is it crucial to support these organizations, but also to take personal initiative so that change may be brought about and assistance can be given to those who suffer.
By Isabella Noguera