Sexual Violence in the East of DRC

As in many of today's conflicts, 70 per cent sexual of violence victims are civilians, the majority of whom are women and children. Rape and sexual violence are being used as a weapon of war: «Women’s bodies have become the battlefield of those who use terror as a weapon of war: women are raped, abducted, humiliated, and endure forced pregnancy, sexual abuse and sexual slavery».

Sexual violence affects women of all ages, including female children, sometimes as young as five years old. Men are not immune to sexual violence. It can occur anytime. A 2002 report sponsored by UNIFEM states: « From Pweto down near the Zambian border right up to Aru on the Sudan/Uganda border, it’s a black hole where no one is safe and where no outsider goes. Women take a risk when they go out to the fields or on a road to a market. Any day they can be stripped naked, humiliated and raped in public. Many people no longer sleep at home, though sleeping in the bush is equally unsafe. Every night, another village is attacked. It could be any group, no one knows, but they always take away women and girls » [Rehn, E., and Sirleaf Johnson, E., The Independent Experts’ Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and the Role of Women in Peace-building, Progress of the World’s Women, Vol.1, 2002, UNIFEM.].

Although exact numbers prove difficult to obtain, NGOs and United Nations institutions in the field in East DRC estimate the total number of rapes at 14 000 in 2005 and 13 000 in 2006. In 2007, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes evaluated the situation of raped victims hospitalized in the South Kivu province in the DRC: he discovered evidence and heard testimony describing «sexual violence so brutal it defies imagination». According to Holmes, «more than 32,000 cases of rape and sexual violence have been registered in South Kivu alone»- but this represents just a fraction of the total number of women who have experienced immense suffering. [John Holmes, «Congo’s Rape War», Los Angeles Times, (October 11th 2007), available on line : <http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-holmes
11oct11,0,6685881.story?coll=la-opinion-center>]

Sexual violence has numerous psychological, physical and social consequences. Such consequences affect not only the immediate victim, but also her family and community. Many women and young girls are raped in front of their family members and fellow villagers, causing them to be ostracized and rejected. The widespread looting, destruction and killing that accompanies sexual violence provokes displacement of populations which exposes displaced people to socio-economical vulnerability. In 2007, fighting in East DRC caused 800 000 people to flee their homes. Sexual violence has a very serious impact on women’s mental and physical health: they are highly exposed to the risk of transmission of sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV/AIDS. Approximately 22% of raped women contract HIV. Their genital organs are often so badly mutilated that surgical intervention is necessary, not to mention that women can also be disfigured, mutilated or assassinated. Many women suffer from the effects of post traumatic stress syndrome, such as anxiety disorders, insomnia and depression. In addition, unwanted pregnancies have significant psychological and physical effects, including on the well-being of children born of rape. The current climate of impunity fuels the violence and aggravates the situation.

Sexual violence in DRC has reached an unprecedented scale: everyday, 40 women are raped in East DRC. It is time for this to stop!

French

Petition Without your support, our action will lose momentum. Without our partnership, your action will have little impact. Help us change the direction of the fight against sexual violence in the DRC. Thank you for reading and signing our petition by clicking here.	Skip to Main Content Campuni ya wanawake wa kongomani kwa kupiganisha ubakaji katika jamuhuri ya Congo Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the DRC Every day, 40 women are raped in the Eastern Congo. It's a well-known reality that has been documented and reported by media, NGOs, international institutions and States. But nothing changes, sexual violence is still widespread. So what more can be done?
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	Sexual Violence in the East of DRC As in many of today's conflicts, 70 per cent sexual of violence victims are civilians, the majority of whom are women and children. Rape and sexual violence are being used as a weapon of war: «Women’s bodies have become the battlefield of those who use terror as a weapon of war: women are raped, abducted, humiliated, and endure forced pregnancy, sexual abuse and sexual slavery». Sexual violence affects women of all ages, including female children, sometimes as young as five years old. Men are not immune to sexual violence. It can occur anytime. A 2002 report sponsored by UNIFEM states: « From Pweto down near the Zambian border right up to Aru on the Sudan/Uganda border, it’s a black hole where no one is safe and where no outsider goes. Women take a risk when they go out to the fields or on a road to a market. Any day they can be stripped naked, humiliated and raped in public. Many people no longer sleep at home, though sleeping in the bush is equally unsafe. Every night, another village is attacked. It could be any group, no one knows, but they always take away women and girls » [Rehn, E., and Sirleaf Johnson, E., The Independent Experts’ Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and the Role of Women in Peace-building, Progress of the World’s Women, Vol.1, 2002, UNIFEM.]. Although exact numbers prove difficult to obtain, NGOs and United Nations institutions in the field in East DRC estimate the total number of rapes at 14 000 in 2005 and 13 000 in 2006. In 2007, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes evaluated the situation of raped victims hospitalized in the South Kivu province in the DRC: he discovered evidence and heard testimony describing «sexual violence so brutal it defies imagination». According to Holmes, «more than 32,000 cases of rape and sexual violence have been registered in South Kivu alone»- but this represents just a fraction of the total number of women who have experienced immense suffering. [John Holmes, «Congo’s Rape War», Los Angeles Times, (October 11th 2007), available on line : <http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-holmes 11oct11,0,6685881.story?coll=la-opinion-center>] Sexual violence has numerous psychological, physical and social consequences. Such consequences affect not only the immediate victim, but also her family and community. Many women and young girls are raped in front of their family members and fellow villagers, causing them to be ostracized and rejected. The widespread looting, destruction and killing that accompanies sexual violence provokes displacement of populations which exposes displaced people to socio-economical vulnerability. In 2007, fighting in East DRC caused 800 000 people to flee their homes. Sexual violence has a very serious impact on women’s mental and physical health: they are highly exposed to the risk of transmission of sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV/AIDS. Approximately 22% of raped women contract HIV. Their genital organs are often so badly mutilated that surgical intervention is necessary, not to mention that women can also be disfigured, mutilated or assassinated. Many women suffer from the effects of post traumatic stress syndrome, such as anxiety disorders, insomnia and depression. In addition, unwanted pregnancies have significant psychological and physical effects, including on the well-being of children born of rape. The current climate of impunity fuels the violence and aggravates the situation. Sexual violence in DRC has reached an unprecedented scale: everyday, 40 women are raped in East DRC. It is time for this to stop! French
	(c) 2008 - Coalition for Women's Rights in Conflict Situations

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Sexual Violence in the East of DRC