Hanna Khosravi
World Literature Honors 2
Tompkins
13 March 2015
An Epidemic of “Femicide”: Sexual Warfare in the Democratic Republic of Congo
She is obviously only a child, and far too ashamed of what has happened to her to speak of it without severe apprehension. She remains unnamed to the outside world, but she lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and similar to many other young women around her, at the age of nine, she was brutally gang-raped on her way to school. She is simply too young to understand what has really happened to her or know what words to use to describe it. According to Sherrlyn Borkgen, a photographer who ventured to the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the DRC, to study the effect of systematic rape on the Congolese women, all this young girl knew was that she was truly traumatized (Drash). This epidemic of rape is a diurnal facet of life for Congolese citizens who are constantly exposed to it, as it is aggressively enforced upon them by the brutish militia forces. The present reign of darkness residing over the nation is a result of a war that began in 1996, when the destruction of much of the African continent was prescribed by the spillover of the vicious Rwandan Genocide and the brutal reign of infamously authoritarian leaders like Idi Amin of Uganda. The Congolese Civil War, a product of long-lasting nation-wide oppression from the corrupt rule of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, tore the nation apart and resulted in 5 million deaths. The war, in fact, has been named the deadliest conflict since World War II, as published by the Christian Science Monitor (the Monitor’s Editorial Board). The war ousted Seko, but what rose out of the death and destruction was an unstable government in which rebel forces overtook power and have since only grown in fraudulence. The vastest issue plaguing currently the Congolese people are extremely violent rapes at the hand of the rebel militia forces. According to Globe & Mail magazine, Congo has been dubbed the “rape capital of the world” and the horrific consequences have left the lives of many women in the DRC in shambles (Canada).
What has developed in the country is the actuality that nobody is completely immune to the torture being inflicted upon the population. The effect of the ceaseless attacks lead to physical and emotional trauma, as well as medical risk, especially in a country where HIV spreads like wildfire. Without reform, the DRC will continue to be crippled by the effects of routine rape and its power to paralyze the country.
Rape is consistently used as a “weapon of war” in the DRC (Canada). The UN has reported that in the last 12 years, there have been more than 200,000 rapes in the country and Daily News Egypt wrote that along with the women, “girls as young as three years have been raped” by the the savage forces (Drash, Chelala). Women and girls are often times assaulted in front of their families and their villages as a means to show the dominance of the militia forces and the powerlessness of the people, resulting in public shame and humiliation for the victims, who will have to cope with that burden in a society that is still extremely traditional. According to The Economist, “For every rape that is reported, as many as ten or 20 cases may go unreported”, because when it is the police and soldiers who are committing the crimes, there are no people to turn to for protection (Everything). The militia, viciously painting themselves as an all-powerful entity, continue to, as said Margot Wallstrom of the United Nations, “dehumanize villages” without even understanding the repercussions of their actions (Canada).
The after-math of the all too frequent rapes are harsh and painful, both psychologically and physically for women. Many of the attacked females are killed after their assaults, or left for dead because the brutality of their attack has left them unable to control their bodily functions. Those who do survive are left with debilitating medical conditions that impair their capabilities throughout the continuation of their lives, and a high number of the survivors are captured into sexual slavery and destined to live out their existences under the commanding rule of abusive militia men. The women and girls who are let go, often mercilessly impregnated, are rejected by their families as it is humiliating for husbands in the customary Congolese culture to be seen with wives who have been violated in such a way (Chelala). Sick, traumatized, and under many circumstances, with child, women are left homeless and impoverished. Another aspect of life after being assaulted, and perhaps one of the most dire effects of the rape epidemic, is the fact that HIV and AIDS are handily infecting the nation and this chain of sexual abuse is seen as one of the primary reasons. In the DRC, an estimated 60% of male militia have HIV, so the disease is being rapidly transmitted across the nation (Chelala). “Rape is an engine of HIV infection,” said Anne-Christine d’Adesky, the executive director of Women’s Equity in Access to Care and Treatment (Chelala). While numerous efforts are being made on behalf of politicians like Hillary Clinton, award-winning medics, the United Nations, and Amnesty International to rid the DRC of this horrific crime, improvement has been slow to come. According to the Saudi Press Agency, in fact, in a 2014 trial, only two of 39 convicted rapists were charged with the crime (United).
The DRC has found difficulty in establishing a well-rounded nation. The central government is corrupt, and their influence is minimal in comparison to the bludgeoning militia forces. If even given the opportunity to recover from their barbaric attacks, women are left unwanted and alone, with lives that have been torn apart. Other nations may persist in their effort to better the DRC’s conditions, but until then, the women continue to endure the lack of progress, which is clearly stalling the nation’s advancement. The prescription written for the people of the DRC lives on relentlessly. “It’s 'femicide’,” feminist activist Eve Ensler told CNN of the Congolese rape epidemic. “It's the systematic destruction of women. It's an economic war fought on the bodies of women. It's the destruction of the Congolese people and life itself"(Blake).
Works Cited
Blake, John. "Woman: 'They Wanted to Destroy My Body and Spirit'" CNN. Cable News Network, 23 Oct. 2008. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Canada's. "Separating Sex and War." Globe & Mail [Canada] 14 May 2010: n. pag. Global Issues in Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
Chelala, Cesar. "Rape in Congo Can Be a Death Sentence to Women." Daily News Egypt 14 June 2014: n. pag. Global Issues in Context. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
Drash, Wayne. "Girl, 9, Details Rape in Congo to Photographer." CNN. Cable News Network, 11 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Everything. "Atrocities Beyond Words; Congo.(A Campaign of Rape in Eastern Congo)." N.p., 8 May 2008. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
The Monitor's Editorial Board. "'We Must Do Better' In Combating Mass Rape in Congo." Christian Science Monitor 8 Sept. 2010: n. pag. 8 Sept. 2010. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
United. "U.N. Envoy: DR Congo Mass Rape Verdict Fails to Deliver Justice." Saudi Press Agency 9 May 2014: n. pag. Global Issues in Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
I really liked your hook and thought it was a very powerful way to start your article. Also, when you said that these people have no protection because it is the police and soldiers who are committing these crimes, that fact really struck me.
ReplyDeleteThis starkly contrasts with the life we live here in Los Altos. I cannot imagine living in a community where this is commonplace, nor do I wish to.
Is there anything being done to stop or even reduce the number of rapes ?
Favorite aspect: Well, I wouldn't call it favorite, but the fact that it's being regarded as one of the most dangerous conflicts since WWII is astounding.
ReplyDeleteConnection: It doesn't really. Despite some severe sexism in the US, there is nothing that horrible.
I LOVED YOUR HOOK and your organization and of course your word choice. My favorite part was when you talked about the effects of this rape. We all know that here in America women feel inferior and violated when this happens, but your second body paragraph really gives more insight about the way people react to it in Africa and how much it means to the family. How do you think this can be prevented?
ReplyDeleteThis was such a well-argued, deep, and insightful piece. It really felt as if I were reading a news article in the New York Times. Your arguments were very strong, but beyond this, your extent to listen kept me on the toes. As you began with a very strong background and introduction, my interest was immediately piqued as you explained the effects of warfare and genocide. This is especially important for us, in the United States, since many do not understand the issues that are experienced in the DRC after these series of wars in the late 20th Century. Additionally, you really captured the essence of the issue when you described not only the emotional outcomes, but how HIV and AIDS are spread. Very elegant, insightful, and thought-provoking article. My final question to you is: how do you think the age of imperialism that Belgium waged against the Congo caused this to occur?
ReplyDelete