- About DRC
- Key Issues
- Rape and Sexual Violence
Quick Facts
- According to the UN, 160 women are raped per week in North and South Kivu, mainly by armed men.
- According to the U.S. State Dept., approximately 1,100 rapes are reported each month, with an average of 36 women and children raped every day.
- In some areas of eastern Congo, 2 out of 3 women have been victims of some form of sexual violence.
- 16% of residents of North and South Kivu have witnessed some form of sexual violence.
Although the war between the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighbors ended in 2003, rape and sexual violence have continued to be used by armed groups and militias to create instability in communities in eastern Congo. This violence is most often focused on women and girls but boys and men are victimized as well. Sexual violence in the region can take the form of kidnapping, rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution or genital mutilation.
Community-based organizations and international NGOs working across eastern Congo are providing assistance to survivors of rape and sexual violence such as:
- Medical treatment
- Counseling and support
- Education and skills training
- Legal assistance
- Training and sensitization about sexual violence that includes men and boys
Reports
- Hearing of U.S. Senate Subcommittees on African Affairs, and Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues—“Confronting Rape and Other Forms of Violence Against Women in Conflict Zones Spotlight: DRC and Sudan”
- Sexual Violence in African Conflicts: Congressional Research Service November 2009 (.PDF) (This report includes a case study on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.)