Violence against women in the republic of congo

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO : POLICY MEMORANDUM

Introduction

The reasons for continued conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC ) are complex . However the key cause for strife in the resource rich state is its mineral wealth . This has been the source of misery in the country even in the era of colonialism , and increased alarmingly after its independence in 1960 . The political agendas of different leaders in the country as well as in countries with a common boundary have exacerbated this race for resources (Shah , 2003 . The involvement of

seven neighboring states and numerous international corporations has provided the context of a global war in DRC . With its rich resources , it has been the centre stage of coups and counter coups as many outside nations have been continuously exploiting it . Its heads of state have invariably turned out to be excessively corrupt and malleable to outside interests (HRW , 2002

The involvement of neighboring Rwanda , Angola , Zimbabwe , Namibia and Burundi has complicated the conflict , each party with its own vested interests with a shifting alliance perpetuating continuous violence (Shah , 2003 . The sanctuary to Hutu interahamwe militia which is alleged to have massacred 800 ,000 Tutsis in Rwanda , underlines the external dimension of the conflict . The main forms of violence include rape attacks against civilians , looting , pillaging , extortion and killings The conflict is provided an ethnic dimension which adds to the continuing threat to safety of women in particular who are seen as objects of hatred for easy exploitation (Shah , 2003 . The presence of peace keeping force , UN interventions and political arrangements from time to time has not had much impact and the simmering conflict continues especially in Ituri on the Ugandan b (Itano , 2005

The main victims of the conflict have been women and children as well as the elderly . Some 3 .3 million are reported to have died since August 1998 and 2 .25 million were rendered homeless (Shah , 2003 . The Human Rights Watch has thus called violence against women in Congo as a , war within the war (HRW , 2002

Statement of the Problem

The problem relates to continued susceptibility and subjection of women to violence in Congo . Women have become a victim of the larger conflict which has subsumed the nation . Their intrinsic vulnerability makes them perfect targets for exploitation in a region where domestic and international law has not been implemented despite continuous promulgation over the years . Thus rape and violence against women has become a weapon of war in the Republic of Congo (HRW , 2002 . The forms of violence against women in Congo are varied . The incidents include sexual abuse , prostitution and recruitment for gender exploitation . A report by Society for Threatened Peoples to the UN highlights that the vulnerability of violence against women increases with displacement of the population particularly as woman are separated from their husbands parents and brothers . The inhuman nature of violence which includes gang rapes , rapes in front of children and forced incest is also common

These incidents create...