By Michael Arunga and Alicia Singh

There is a devastating epidemic of rape of young girls and women in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (E-DRC).

While recent news reports focus on military conflict within the country, sexual assaults of women and children fleeing the fighting goes largely unreported.

In a recent focus group in Bulengo camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), World Vision’s rapid assessment team was told that the rape of women and young girls is a major concern for residents. Many of these attacks take place when women are fleeing or out collecting firewood for their families.

Rape Remains Rampant
In this conflict, rape is a weapon of war.

“If you destroy a woman emotionally, you destroy the family,” says Jennifer Harold, director of regional programs for World Vision Canada, “and if you destroy all the women in a community, then you can destroy the community. You don’t have to kill them.” 

Despite the signing of the Goma Ceasefire Agreement this February, the situation in E-DRC remains unstable. A United Nations report released in March, confirms that sexual violence and rape continue unabated.

The report reveals that 5,000 cases of rape were reported in the province of South Kivu alone from January to September 2007. And this year, the Congo Advocacy Coalition reported over 2,200 registered cases of sexual abuse in North Kivu from January to June.

Women Suffer Thrice
Muziranenge Kurodin was one of thirteen people invited by World Vision to take part in a focus-group discussion to help understand the needs within Bulengo camp. The mother of nine spoke with great emotion as she discussed the rampant sexual assault of displaced women.

She told the World Vision assessment team that women suffer triple tragedies. They are forced to flee their homes during the chaos of conflict and then must venture into the dangerous forests to find wood so they can cook for their starving children. While in the forest, they are often raped.

“It is sad that women who venture into the forest to look for fuel wood to cook for their families are being raped and infected with sexually transmitted diseases,” said Kurodin.

“When they return,” she continued, “they are too ashamed to share their ordeals with spouses, but later transmit venereal diseases to their spouse which leads to broken marriages.”

Cooking Stoves Help Bring Safety
A recent field report on humanitarian-protection in E-DRC, confirms concerns of sexual violence against women and children by armed men. A practical solution proposed by women is to reduce the number of visits to forests in search of fuel-wood by way of fuel-efficient stoves.

In an effort to protect women, World Vision E-DRC has partnered with Programme d’action locale, a local NGO with expertise in constructing fuel-efficient stoves. World Vision is training women in various communities on how to use the stoves and minimize their trips into the forests.  

World Vision in DRC
World Vision has worked in the DRC with different categories of vulnerable children including, children suffering from malnutrition, child soldiers, trauma and sexual abuse victims and protection projects. Plans are also underway to partner with Heal Africa, an NGO for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

In addition to these issues, World Vision DRC recognizes the increasingly serious protection concerns related to women and child rights, and the need for strong advocacy within the country to address them.

Donate now to provide relief to families fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.