The Worst Place on Earth to Be a Woman: Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo Kara Maniscalco Robin Kramer

April 17, 2012 LA 101H

Many American women cannot fathom being raped. If American women cannot possibly imagine being raped, then they most certainly cant imagine being raped six or seven times in a row, or with objects such as guns, knives, and razor blades. For women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), this is an everyday occurrence. Mass rape is used as a weapon of terror and torture. The DR Congo has long been a site of wartime rape and its time that Congolese women received care and justice through provided healthcare and education of their rights. DR Congo is no stranger to war and conflict. The countrys history has been tumultuous since the 1960s, when the country entered into its first civil war. However, the current issue began in 1997, when Laurent Kabila took control over the country. When he came into power, the Congolese rebels backed by Ugandan and Rwandan forces gained control over a large portion of the country, sending the country into its second civil war (www.infoplease.com). In 1999, all of the countries involved in the war, along with most of the rebel groups, signed the Lusaka Accord, which called for an end to all acts of violence against civilians along with military disengagement (Ali-Dinar, 1999). Fighting continued despite the signing of the Lusaka Accord until 2002, when Uganda and Rwanda signed another peace accord. However, this accord was ineffective as well, because although it officially ended the civil war, rebel forces still attacked the Congolese government with the aid of Rwanda (www.infoplease.com). While DR Congo is no longer an official war zone, it is still an area of major conflict. Thousands of women were raped by rebel forces and military soldiers during the civil war, and mass rape is still being committed long after the war has ended. Rape is used as a weapon, to spread terror and hysteria throughout the country, as well as a means of torture. DR Congo is commonly referred to as the worst place on earth to be a woman (Adetunji, 2011). A study

published in the American Journal of Public Health found that 48 women are raped in DR Congo every hour and 1,152 women are raped every single day (Adetunji, 2011). A total of 15,000 women were conservatively estimated to have been raped in the year 2009 alone (Elbagir, 2010). Women have been interviewed describing having been bayoneted or shot inside their genitals (Beck, 2008). Although rape is the most common form of sexual violence against women in DR Congo, there are many other forms including genital mutilation and sexual slavery. Rape isnt the correct term. Women in DR Congo arent simply raped a single time. The correct term for the issue in DR Congo is mass rape. Women are repeatedly gang raped by rebels, soldiers, and objects as well as being held captive as personal sex slaves. Oftentimes, women are ambushed while working in a field or taken directly from their homes and villages to wooded areas; this action created the phrase taken into the forest as a euphemism for sexual assault (Elbagir, 2010). Women are generally raped by a number of men in a short period of time, and objects are often used to make the rapes even more impersonal and degrading. When women are assaulted a large number of times and with sharp objects, fistulas often develop within the vagina (De Reus). A fistula is an abnormal opening or tear which connects the vagina with another organ, most commonly either the bladder or colon (www.mayoclinic.org). Survivors of rape are generally stigmatized by their communities, families, and friends. Women may be unable to return to their homes and their husbands often cast them out. In the occasional case that women are allowed to return home, they are still considered to be contaminated and arent accepted by their communities. When women develop fistulas as a result of being raped, the stigmatization is even greater. Since the vagina is connected to the bladder, colon, or even both organs, the women leak urine and feces for the rest of their lives, unless they receive reconstructive surgery (De Reus). The physical reminder of the rape allows people to justify

their beliefs that the women are contaminated and exile them. The extent and method to which women are raped in DR Congo is unacceptable and must end now. There are many organizations, ranging from local to international, that focus on aiding women in DR Congo with their recovery from mass rape attacks. Donating either time or money to these organizations is a simple yet monumental way to help the women. Women For Women International (WFWI) is an organization that helps women in conflict areas all over the world, including DR Congo, rebuild their lives and create a better future for themselves. In DR Congo specifically, WFWI implements programs which provide rape survivors with financial aid, rights awareness classes, emotional support and job-skills training. Women are given vocational training in areas such as tie-dying, ceramics, bread-making, agriculture, tailoring, and beauty sales to name a few. These learnt trades can be used to sell products locally and globally to give the women a steady and reliable source of income (womenforwomen.org). Another organization dedicated to aiding women in the DR Congo is Pennies for Panzi (P4P). Pennies for Panzi is an organization founded by Professor Lee Ann De Reus in Altoona, Pennsylvania. P4P supports Panzi Hospital, which is the only hospital in Eastern DR Congo which treats women suffering from rape related injuries. Women receive free medical treatment, including the surgery to repair fistulas, which is funded mostly by non-profit organizations in Europe (De Reus). While P4P is a segment of the larger Panzi Foundation, P4P specifically funds Aire de Jeux, a space for the children of rape survivors to receive care while their mothers are healing (www.panzifoundation.org). In every culture, mothers worry more about the welfare of their children than their own welfare. The same goes for women receiving treatment in Panzi Hospital: they wish for their children to be taken care of and to receive an education (De Reus). There are plenty of ways to donate to P4P, ranging from monetary

donations, to donating clothing and school supplies, as well as donating time to raise awareness of the program. Since the program is locally based, its simple to become involved. Another organization dedicated to aiding Congolese women is the International Rescue Committee (IRC). IRC is a global organization similar to WFWI, and aids women in conflict all over the world. IRC focuses mostly on ensuring that rape survivors receive health care and connecting them to safe communities when they are out casted from their own. Another goal of the IRC is to train local health care workers to instill a safe health care system throughout DR Congo. Family planning, decision-making skills, and emotional support are also given to women through the IRC in order to help them live healthy lives. Donations made to IRC will directly aid women in receiving emergency health care, as well as fund the medical training for local doctors. Aside from monetary donations, its also possible to become involved in IRC by advocating for a change in womens rights in DR Congo, as well as becoming directly involved with women in DR Congo through IRC programs (www.rescue.org). Donating to and supporting organizations that aid women in DR Congo is a simple and effective way to help end womens suffering and pain. Although supporting these organizations will not end the instances of rape throughout the country, they help women heal after their ordeals, which is the most realistic way to take a stand against the issue of sexual violence against women at this point in time. According to Women for Women International, programs instilled to help women heal after being raped have shown major success. Of women who have participated in growth and education programs, 88% report improvements in both mental and physical health, 83% report improvements in their economic situation, 77% are currently using job-skills learned to earn an

income, and 90% of women who complete the programs help to counsel and educate other women in their communities (www.womenforwomen.org). United States (U.S.) intervention is not an option in DR Congo at this time, despite the obvious need for one. In 2006, a Guatemalan squad of commandos infiltrated a rebel camp in DR Congo. The rebels quickly killed all eight men, and beheaded the commander (Axe, 2011). Three years later, U.S. troops aided the Ugandan army in planning a series of raids on rebel camps. However, the Ugandan Army was unable to coordinate their attacks, and the rebel troops spread across the region and killed over 600 civilians while retreating into the forest (Axe, 2011). The rebels in DR Congo are ruthless and will murder and rape women and civilians whether they are being invaded by outside forces or not. Until the U.S. can convince the international population to come together and take control of the situation of DR Congo, peace at this time isnt possible to intervene. The risk is too high, and Congolese civilians are put at even greater risk, as shown by the failed raids of the Ugandan Army. The education of Congolese as well as people in other African countries as well is another possibility in ending the sexual violence against women. For centuries, women in Africa have been viewed as objects. Rape has always been common, because women have never been seen as equal to men, or as to having the freedom to keep their bodies safe (De Reus). Until the entire population has been educated on womens rights, there is no way to keep sexual violence from occurring. Rapes are committed against women by civilian men as well as rebel forces and rapes against women by civilians have seen a 17-fold or 1600% increase, as quoted by a Harvard researcher "We think this trend of increased civilian perpetrators suggests that theres been an acceptance of sexual violence by the Congolese society" (Moore, 2010). Sexual violence will continue in DR Congo until the society learns that it is wrong.

The actual occurrence of mass rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo will not end until the world takes a stand and intervenes, or the population learns that sexual violence is against womens natural rights. Therefore, the focus must be shifted on providing health care, education, and child care for the women who have suffered and been survivors of rape. If women are given the opportunity to heal, given the resources necessary to lead successful lives, and given the knowledge of their rights, this is what will help end the issue of sexual violence in the DR Congo. Freedom of ones body and ones life are often taken for granted in Western culture. Women in DR Congo fight for their lives every day and their strife is not often acknowledged. The plight of these women needs to be publicized and the world needs make an effort to end their suffering. After all, they are people too.

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