Background

© V-Day/Paula Allen

Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rape is used as a weapon of war to torture and humiliate women and girls in DRC. This systemic sexual violence not only destroys women and young girls but also entire families and communities. Survivors often suffer in silence, fearing stigma and ostracism. In addition to the severe psychological impact, many survivors are left with genital lesions, traumatic fistulae and other physical wounds, as well as unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Local support for survivors is hindered by a lack of resources.

Following her visit to the Great Lakes Region, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that “while victims (of sexual and gender-based violence) were stigmatized and socially ostracized, there was virtually no stigmatization of perpetrators.”
 
DRC has been called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and the widest interstate war in modern African history. Fueled by the exploitation of the country's rich natural resources by foreign and local armies and private enterprises, the war has directly affected the lives of 50 million Congolese. Since 1996, this conflict has caused more deaths than any war since World War II, either as a direct result of fighting or from disease and malnutrition. Five million people have lost their lives as a result of the conflict. With your help, the women and children who bear the burden of this war can reclaim a life of safety and dignity.