Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is causing severe gender-based violence
Content Warning: Mentions of Sexual Violence
Sources: USA Today, Africanews, UN Nations
What’s Happening?
In the eastern DRC, violence against women and girls is widely being used as a weapon of war. Many women and girls displaced by the conflict must walk into the woods for five or six hours to collect firewood which they sell to buy food and other essentials. These long treks leave them vulnerable to sexual assault, even when traveling in groups, as armed assailants are also often in groups. In January alone, survivors reported 10,400 cases of sexual violence. In North Kivu alone, over 50,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported. Over 50% were rape, 90% were women and girls, and 37% were children.
Since the First Congo War in 1996, conflict in the eastern DRC has led to at least 6 million deaths and at least 7 million internally displaced people who have been internally displaced and forced to live in makeshift camps with limited access to food, fuel, clean water, or shelter.
“We know that for every survivor who comes forward, many others are silenced by social pressures, stigma, insecurity, the paucity of services, and the limited prospects for justice.”
Why this is a feminist issue:
In times of violence and conflict, women and girls become more vulnerable to gender-based violence, as rape is often used as an act of war. As conflict increases, so does sexual violence. In 2023, wartime sexual violence increased by 50% compared to the previous year. 95% of cases were committed against women and girls, and 32% of cases were committed against children, with the vast majority (98%) being girls.
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION:
👉 Support aid organizations in DRC including @panzifoundation, @congoliciousfoundation, @healafrica, @synergie_fps, @gomactif, @actionkivu, @easterncongo.
👉 Other organizations to support: @focuscongo, @thefutureofcongo, @chakabars, @iheartafricadotorg, @congofriends
