As the violence in the Congo continues, so does the continual rape of women and girls. With limited resources the fight to aid those victimized by rape is a battle all its own, however it is an endless battle that Dr. Denis Mukwege and his staff at Panzi hospital in Bukavu vow to continue to wage daily. Sadly as years of continued conflict and violence continue without avail, Dr. Mukwege often finds himself treating the same patients again;
“It is always a joy when you treat someone and they get well,…But then I start seeing women I treated in 2003, and I ask myself, why should I continue with this work?…I can’t be discouraged by the work if the problem will end. But if you can’t see the end….(CS Monitor)”
High levels of rape as a weapon of war are directly linked to a countries levels of gender-based violence, which continues to remain a severe problem throughout many developing countries. Therefore gender-based violence has shown to make sharp increases in times of conflict and post-conflict, as is seen not only in the DRC, but in other countries such as Cote D’Ivoire, which has been enthralled in conflict since 2002, of which in 2007 ‘formal fighting’ was ended with a cease fire.
“These days nearly every time we hear of armed robberies in homes, on the roads or on plantations, we hear of rape,” said a resident of the western town of Duékoué some 500km from the commercial capital Abidjan, who wanted to remain anonymous. …“We hear of two, three, four rapes every day.” (IRIN: “Rapes are encouraged)“
Gender-based violence and rape follows women and girls no matter where they turn, haunting them in their daily lives, and causing them to live in a perpetual state of fear;
“As long as there is war, we won’t go back – how can we go back and risk being raped? When we go for water, when we go to the fields, we are afraid.” (Rape destroys Congolese families)
The use of systematic rapes is not the only weapon of war that plauges women and children, as children are also forced to fight for armed groups, especially in countries such as the DRC. Children are often violently recruted in to the countries rebel forces, and it is these same children who are often trained and forced to rape and kill, with no thought to their future and no end in sight to the violence. Although many children are forcebly recruted into rebel forces, many do join willingly, though most often out of fear or despiration. Regardless of their means of recruitment, all of the children are scared for life unable to escape the violent memories of war, such as told byJonathan Sukulu;
“Every day in the military there were horrible things. There was no respite. One time I can’t forget. It was in 2003. We had heard that the Lendu were entering a village called Marabu so we went to secure the population. But when we got there we saw that we were too late. They had already cut off arms with machetes and killed so many people – little children, pregnant women, old men. They must have killed as many as 400 people, all from the Hema and Bira tribes. I was completely thrown. (Tale of a child soldier in Congo)”
When will the rapes end? This is a question that is being asked, not only in the Congo, but across the globe. However while the DRC remains one of the worst countries in the world for is exuberant use of rape as a weapon of war, it is not alone in this destructive act that not only destroys the bodies of women and girls, but serves to ultimately brake down civil society.
Rape as a weapon of war has been used in all conflicts, at various levels, however the profound effect that the use of rape has on society is far reaching. As for example, was the case in the 1971 fight for Bangladesh’s independence Pakistani troops used rape as weapon and forcibly impregnated an estimated 25,000 women. Other cases of the extreme use of rape as a weapon of war include countries such as; the Former Yugoslavia, Sudan, and Uganda.
By targeting the ‘enemy’ at the very core, destabilization of the family and then the community soon follow. Once the communities affected by the use of rape as a weapon of war begin to fold under the burden, the effects trickle down to the entire country. The question as to, “When will the rapes end?”, remains to be unanswered as long as impunity remains and gender-based violence remains on the back burner.
More on the use of rape as a weapon of war in the DRC:
Click Child Soldiers Fighting in the DRC – Amnesty International and WITNESS to watch a video of Congolese children speaking about their experiences as child soldiers.
Rape crisis set to worsen amid Kivu chaos
Congo’s tragedy: the war the world has forgotten
Through Their Bodies We Strive
Fear of rape and violence rising – Women for Women International reaches out to vulnerable women in Congo
