wartime rape

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“Many instance of persecution and killing have occurred in countries with atrocious human rights such as Sri Lanka, Guatemala and the Democratic Republic of Congo.” –David Suzuki

“I can't quite remember the exact moment when I became obsessed with writing a play about the seemingly endless war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but I knew that I wanted to somehow tell the stories of the Congolese women caught in the cross-fire.” –Lynn Nottage

As of 2011, it is believed that 48 women are raped every hour in Congo (Lloyd-Davies, 2011). Unfortunately, accurate figures of rape victims do not exist and are difficult to collect, but hospitals and human rights organizations have predicted that at least half a million women have been victims of rape in Congo (Bosmans, 2007, 8). A staggering number of women raped in Congo, in the last decade has caught the attention of human rights agents and scholars who are trying to understand the use of wartime rape. The complexity and chaotic war in Congo has left the country impoverished; therefore women are in greater risk of sexual violence from soldiers looking for basic everyday resources.
Research question: What are some of the social impacts of using rape as a weapon of war in Congo? The goal of this research paper is to discuss the consequences that both men and women in Congo face in societies as a result of using wartime rape. I have drafted the following themes (questions) to support my study:
• What are some societal changes/shifts that occur due to rape (pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and death)
• How can Congolese societies build their communities after traumatic experiences of rape

For the purposes of this paper, I define rape as forced vaginal and anal intercourse or oral sex. Mentioned a...

... middle of paper ...

...nd how rape affects women during and after rape, but the same is yet to be studied on men. The environment created by war socializes men in hyper-masculinity ways, thus emotional and mental trauma inflicted on men by war is not documented. Both men and women are an important part of society; therefore reintegration programs from Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the Congo government need to give perpetrators of rape incentives to join these programs as well as the opportunity to better their lives. Neglecting to involve perpetrators of rape is causing more conflicts because NGOs and the government are not looking at the root of the problem, which is rebels strive on the recruitment of young boys, therefore, if these young boys are given the opportunity to better their selves and live in a stable environment, rebels will lose members and eventually shut down

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