Sexual Violence against Women

Posted: December 22nd, 2022

Sexual Violence against Women

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Sexual Violence against Women in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Introduction

Sexual violence against women entails any sexual acts such as forceful penetration, gang-raping, the use of physical force, unwanted sexual advances or comments, and several types of coercion like psychological intimidation. When an individual is unable to consent to sex, then that becomes part of sexual abuse. The magnitude of sexual assault in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is high compared to any other parts of the world. One of the significant reasons for the numbers is the brutal nature of sexual violence in the country and the fact that sex is used as a war weapon (Wakabi, 2008, p.15). The people involved in the long-standing war in DRC use rape and other forms of sexual attacks such as kidnapping of women and girls, gang raping, forced marriages, and sexual servitude as tools to retain and gain control over other citizens in areas occupied by insurgent groups. Sexual violence is not only a demoralizing issue for the survivors and those related to them but also involves substantial economic and social costs.

Rape Culture

Rape culture is a concept or a term that defines a culture whereby sexual violence and rape are termed as common and normal as a result of societal attitudes about sexuality and gender. As explained by Keller, Mendes, and Ringrose (2018, p.5), people perpetuate rape culture by objectifying men’s and women’s bodies, using misogynistic language, and idealizing sexual violence. Most girls and women live in fear that they might experience rape, but it is assumed that men do not. The above assumption is the explanation of how rape is a powerful means by which women or the female gender, in general, is held in a secondary position to the males, despite that many men do not commit rape, and most women are not rape victims. The described cycle sums up the rape culture legacy. Some of the behaviors related to rape culture include sexual objectification, tolerating sexual harassment, slut-shaming, making sexually explicit jokes, victim-blaming, rape trivialization, and educating women to avoid rape rather than teaching men not to engage in sexual violence, among others (Phipps, Ringrose, Renold, & Jackson, 2018, p.6).

Sexual violence against girls and women or gender-based violence (GBD), is an epidemic that affects one out of three women in their lifespan. The figures are overwhelming, given that 35 percent of women across the world have gone through sexual or physical violence either committed by their partners or non-partners (García-Moreno et al., 2015, 1567).  The face of sexual abuse is different internationally, with most of the sexual offenses against women reported in developing nations and regions with low literacy and income levels.

Sexual Violence against Women in DRC

The DRC is among the nations that have recorded many years of instability and unrest. While acts of sexual abuse have always ensued in the republic, the high rates against women begun during the early armed conflicts in 1990s. The intensity of sexual violence against women in DRC is described as the worst to ever occur in the world.

Sexual violence is widespread in DRC, particularly in the eastern part of the country, to the extent that it is sometimes referred to as “the ground zero of rape” or the “Rape Capital of the World” (Bartels et al., 2010, p.38). Armed militias looking to destroy societies have sexually abused thousands of women and girls in the country. Often, survivors are publicly stigmatized and deprived of the compensation they are eligible to under the Congolese and international laws. Girls and women in DRC have been raped from babies as little as one year to 84-year-old women. Reports from health centers in Kivu in 2010 showed that every day, 40 women reported rape cases (Bartels Ret.al. 2010, p.40). Rape in the nation is used as a weapon of war. Using sexual assault as a weapon has resulted in an increase in the number of civilian perpetrators. The most acute cases have been reported in a place called South Kivu, whereby the perpetrators include armed military men, national police officers, and the members of the Congolese armed forces (Daudu & Shulika, 2019, p.16). The culprits commit sexual assaults that are of inconceivable cruelty and focus at complete psychological and physical obliteration of women in the entire Congolese society.

Studies carried out on the subject focus on rape and violence against women in regards to armed conflicts, mostly in the eastern region of the nation. However, research is now being done to show that sexual abuse is not only pervasive in the Eastern part of the country, but also in all regions and that it is not mainly linked to the armed conflicts. Although extensive evidence reveals individual and communal impacts of sexual violence in the nation, the DRC government is criticized for not taking any measures to control it. The justice and security system has fallen short in addressing the cases, with most victims lacking adequate care. While the laws of the country criminalize any types of sexual assaults, such laws are not usually enforced. The high sexual violence rates against women in DRC are undisputable. Despite irrefutable substantiation showing the extensive nature of sexual violence against women across the country, the matter remains under-resourced and under-investigated.

Social and Psychological Consequences of Sexual Violence against Women in the DRC

The survivor or victim is the most immediate individual affected by rape or any form of sexual violence. The consequences of sexual violence, however, extend beyond the survivors and the victims to close relationships, communities, and the society at large. In this case, sexual abuse is a public health issue that is a significant concern to everyone. The impacts of sexual violence can last a lifetime, with adverse implications on the economy, education, crime, health, and employment.

As posited by García-Moreno et al. (2015, p.1569), every victim reacts differently to sexual violence. Some of the Congolese sexual violence survivors were said to express their emotion with other suppressing them. In several cases, doctors reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the victims showing intense horror, fear, and feelings of helplessness. Sexual abuse victims often face immediate mental impacts that are associated with other chronic effects that affect their adjustment throughout their entire life. Some of the emotional consequences include sadness, confusion, self-blame, shame, denial, embarrassment, vulnerability, isolation, and distrust.

Psychological impacts include anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, flashbacks, lack of focus, substance abuse, PTSD, and nightmares. Victims also experience physical reactions such as physical injuries, high startle response, worries of physical safety, changes in sleeping or eating patterns, as well as concerns about STIs, HIV, or pregnancy.

To the community, sexual assault tears its social structure. Organizations, churches, schools, neighborhoods, cultural communities may feel angered by the events in their community. For instance, girls in DRC are forced to flee from one place to another in fear of rape and do not get the chance to gain a proper education. Also, the Congolese community faces financial constraints that affect their ability to access mental and medical health services.

Measures to Address the Issue

One common aspect of GBD is that it does not recognize any economic or social limits and affects women of all socio-economic backgrounds. Therefore, the issue should be addressed in both developed and developing nations. In DRC, addressing sexual assault against women calls for a multi-pronged community-based program, as well as continuous engagement with several stakeholders (García-Moreno et al., 2015, p.1570).

To respond to the issue, international organizations like the United Nations and the United Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) provide medical and legal aid to the nation. The entities have acknowledged that children and women in DRC are the populations most affected by the long-standing conflicts and have called on other nations to consider ways to protect them from gender-based violence. In addition, donor and development agencies continue to fund a number of projects to support the victims medically and psychologically. The DRC government, on the other hand, has implemented new laws in the constitution that enshrine sexual misconducts as crimes against humanity. However, the law remains ineffectual as the judiciary lacks the power to endorse the new law as a result of deep-rooted corruption and political interference.

Recommendation and Conclusion

The situation is likely to remain the same unless security sector reforms are considered. The security sector of the country must be wholly reformed as it has been majorly involved in sexual violence. DRC must adopt an all-inclusive approach to diminish sexual abuse crimes and to sustain peace. The nation should employ a comprehensive institution-building strategy given that sexual abuse against women is as a result of institutional failures. The borders of the country should be tightened and restricted from warlords. State leaders, on the other hand, should relinquish private militias and armies. An effort to educate and empower girls and women should be considered through building schools, improving living standards in rural areas, and encouraging women to participate in political activities and occupy leadership positions in the country. Lastly, the DRC government should make changes in its political, social, and economic structure to eradicate problems like poor living standards and underdevelopment. The sexual violence cycle against women in DRC can be eliminated; however, it requires a more international and national action than is currently seen.

References

Bartels, S., Scott, J., Leaning, J., Mukwege, D., Lipton, R., & VanRooyen, M. (2010). Surviving sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 11(4), 37-49. Retrieved from http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol11/iss4/3

Daudu, I. A., & Shulika, L. S. (2019). Armed conflicts in Africa: examining sexual violence as an instrument of war. Journal of African Union Studies, 8(1), 51-71. Retrieved from Doi: 10.31920/2050-4306/2019/v8n1a3

García-Moreno, C., Hegarty, K., d’Oliveira, A. F. L., Koziol-McLain, J., Colombini, M., & Feder, G. (2015). The health-systems response to violence against women. The Lancet, 385(9977), 1567-1579. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61837-7

Keller, J., Mendes, K., & Ringrose, J. (2018). Speaking ‘unspeakable things’: Documenting digital feminist responses to rape culture. Journal of Gender Studies, 27(1), 1-36. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2016.1211511

Phipps, A., Ringrose, J., Renold, E., & Jackson, C. (2018). Rape culture, lad culture and everyday sexism: Researching, conceptualizing and politicizing new mediations of gender and sexual violence. Journal of Gender Studies, 27(1), 1-8. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2016.1266792

Wakabi, W. (2008). Sexual violence increasing in Democratic Republic of Congo. The Lancet, 371(9606), 15-16. Retrieved from Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60051-3