Rape is a weapon of war in the Congo
OPINION - By killing the spirit of the victim without actually physically committing homicide, the aggressor gains more control over them...
A new study on the African nation of Congo reports on some very alarming news. The report, released on Wednesday, said that approximately 1,152 women are raped every day, which amounts to roughly 48 women per hour. It is widely known that rape is often used as a tool of war. But why use this type of torture? And why are the rebels carrying out this sort of terrorism against women?
Could this form of terrorism be related to the patriarchal culture that exists in the Congo? There is a strong indication of that, since the onset of colonialism Congo society has been ruled by male domination.
However, it’s important to point out that although women are being tortured in this way in astronomical numbers, men are being raped as well. It’s reported that nearly 10 percent of men account for the victims of this violent crime. And although the reports say 10 percent, authorities fear that the numbers might be much higher primarily because of the stigma attached to this type of offense for women and men. In many cases the men are castrated and suffer critical internal injuries that they oftentimes die from because they are too ashamed to go and get medical help.
The Congolese rebels know all too well what they are doing. They are carrying out a strategic and systematic criminal act of war that is used to gain the upper hand against civilians. Rape is used as a tool of war to demoralize, eliminate the self-respect and pride of the victim. By killing the spirit of the victim without actually physically committing homicide, the aggressor gains more control over them. This is first and foremost psychological warfare.
Many Congolese victims report that after the crime has been committed, their lives are forever changed by the way they view themselves and the way that the villagers see them. They are traumatized and humiliated physically and mentally.
Psychologically, many go into a deep depression, they see themselves has having little or no self-worth. Incredibly many victims, male and female alike blame themselves for the attack and wonder what they could have done to prevent it. At the very least many experience debilitating apathy. At the very worst, if the victims don’t go and seek medical and psychological help, they go on to live as outcasts in their communities and ruined.
On a physical level, the injuries that victims suffer as a result of the rape are shocking. Doctors who treat these patients often say that it’s disturbing to think that one human being could inflict this sort of damage to another. Men who are raped are often castrated; many times they are raped with tree limbs and other objects that cause sever internal bleeding. The women who are raped experience rectal and vaginal fistula, which is characterized as having torn and damaged tissue, which often results in incontinence. They experience the inability to walk properly with of their hips and legs, unplanned pregnancies are also reported. And all too often the victims are left with a long list of sexually transmitted diseases with the worst being AIDS. And in the aftermath of the rapes, the victims’ families and communities abandon many of these women and men. Too often they are left alone to fend for themselves and live a life of impoverishment.
Rape as a weapon of war is something that the Congolese rebels do strategically to gain control over the territory that they attack because they know that by terrorizing and destroying the women in the villages, they are also destroying families and the society as a whole. They understand that women are the backbone of these families that they attack. Once the human spirit is shattered physically as well as psychologically, the rebels can now have easy access to the land. Gender-based violence is a way of acquiring more control and ultimately power.
In the aftermath of such a horrific experience, there is some hope for victims. In recent years, groups of women have formed what are known as vigilance committees, which is one of the very few safety nets for rape victims. The committee members many of whom are schoolteachers and mature women use loudspeakers in the commercial districts to urge victims to come forward and ask for help. They provide psychological counseling and a chance to work and earn a living doing odd jobs, to help incorporate these women back into the community. This type of counseling helps in many ways, not only financially but it helps to rebuild their self-esteem and move on with their lives.
The United States and the world have essentially ignored the plight of the Congolese war victims. The only small solace that the suffering have is in the vigilance committees and individuals from the U.S. and other countries who go independently to offer help. But those who go without some sort of protection are also putting themselves at risk in Congo where women are seen as less than human.
If we turn a blind eye to this suffering nation, that in and of itself is a crime.
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