Often in war times, woman, children and the elderly are abused and mistreated. Seen as the weakest in society, they make easy targets and the crimes committed against them amount to crimes against humanity.
Sexual violence against females, both young and old, is a dark and often unspoken method used in many current war situations. Darfur has helped to highlight this situation, being the biggest case of rape being used as a systematic weapon of warfare, ever.
In many cultures, a rape victim is completely ostracized from her family and society, thus family units are ripped apart and women are forced into situations of displacement. It creates instability and often spreads HIV/AIDS (sometimes deliberately). Because of the stigma associated with it, many women in Darfur who have been raped refer to it as being “beaten”. Because of this, the figures documenting known rapes may not truly represent the magnitude of the problem.
The children born to the victims of rape are innocent children that often get shunned and neglected.
This problem needs to stop being a silent problem.
The following film highlights the tragedy of the use of sexual violence in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a means to create instability.
Warning – The stories this video tells will affect you emotionally. Let them.
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That is heartbreaking to watch, it makes me angry to see how low mankind can go in the name of power. What can be done or is being done by an organisatin that I can support?
Jack,
Are you looking for an organisation specifically connected to the tragic consequences of this in the Congo, or organisations that deal with this on a wider scale?
Specifically – but would be interested to know a bit more about either – there are so many charities vying for funding that its really hard to know who to trust and who to support and who is doing what exactly.
Jack,
I have just made some queries, so will let you know when I have a reputable organization I can connect you to.
Jack,
Just as a quick update, the Panzi Hospital in Bukava has been suggested a place worth supporting. They predominantly deal with rape victims and have a specific program for the treatment of sexual violence as a result of the conflict.
From what I am aware, UNICEF was involved in helping to establish the facilities.
I have some people who have contacts in the area looking into it.
To see the hospital’s website go here:
http://www.panzihospitalbukavu.org/
Once I have more information on the hospital, I will pass it on and may write an article for others who may be interested.
Thanks for that – I had a look at the website – looks like they are doing some excellent work. I am a bit wary about the ‘spiritual therapy’ though. And to be picky – they need to fix the spelling of ‘conceive’ on the website – it doesn’t worry me but gotta look 100% professional to help attract funding.