Summary

Research on sexual violence in DRC is extremely challenging. Sexual violence is deeply stigmatized in Congolese culture and many of those affected live in remote or insecure regions. Thus, rigorous data are lacking and many important questions remain unanswered.

The report presents a retrospective cohort study of sexual violence survivors presenting to Panzi Hospital, with a specific aim of answering the following outstanding questions:

When, where and how are women being attacked and what makes them vulnerable to sexual violence?
How has the rape epidemic in South Kivu evolved over the last five years?

Results

In South Kivu, sexual violence is pervasive, affecting women of all ages, ethnicities and marital statuses. Women are attacked everywhere, even in the privacy of their own homes. The sexual assaults are ruthless, with horrific reports of gang rape, sexual slavery, genital trauma, forced rape between victims and rape in the presence of family members. Sexual violence survivors often witness the torture and murder of their children and spouses.

An analysis of sexual violence trends over time revealed that the total number of reported assaults at Panzi Hospital had steadily decreased between 2004 and 2008. The analysis also demonstrated a civilian adoption of rape, with a 17-fold increase in the number of civilian rapes. These findings imply a normalization of rape among the civilian population, suggesting the erosion of all constructive social mechanisms that ought to protect civilians from sexual violence.

Key recommendations

To the Congolese government and the international community must:

Ensure that quality care is available for women in all areas, in order to save lives and preserve quality of life;
Work to reduce sexual violence linked to military action;
Build on the legal/justice initiatives taken to date, particularly the law on sexual violence and the government’s announcement of “zero tolerance” for crimes against civilians by its armed forces;
Ensure that their protective deployments are tailored to local realities.

Joint Agency Research Report

Author: Harvard Humanitarian Initiative with support from Oxfam America

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/15/congo-rape-widespread-oxfam-report

Congo Report - Rape Is Widespread

Oxfam study finds rape has risen 17-fold in past few years and become more pervasive in civilian life

Sexual violence has become increasingly pervasive in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo where civilian rape has risen 17-fold in the past few years, says a report released today by Oxfam.

The study found that 38% of rapes were committed by civilians in 2008, compared with less than 1% in 2004. "These findings imply a normalisation of rape among the civilian population, suggesting the erosion of all constructive social mechanisms that ought to protect civilians from sexual violence," it said.

Armed groups, including the army and Congolese and Rwandan militias, have raped tens of thousands of women in Congo. But the report, Now, the World is Without Me, said about 56% of sexual assaults were committed by armed men in homes in the presence of the victim's families, including their children. About 16% reported were in fields, and 15% in forests. Incidents of sexual slavery were reported by 12% of women surveyed, with some held hostage for years.

The number of rapes increased during military operations. More than 9,000 people, including men and boys, were raped in 2009 as the government and its Rwandan military allies moved against Rwandan militia groups operating on Congolese soil.

The report was commissioned by Oxfam and carried out by Harvard University experts. More than 4,000 rape victims were interviewed from 2004 to 2008 at Panzi hospital in the eastern Congo city of Bukavu.

Oxfam said the findings of the survey were alarming. "Rape of this scale and brutality is scandalous," said Krista Riddley, director of Oxfam's humanitarian policy. "This is a wake-up call at a time when plans are being discussed for UN peacekeepers to leave the country. The situation is not secure if a woman can't even sleep safely in her own bed at night."

Susan Bartels, chief researcher from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, said the research confirmed what had been reported anecdotally. "Sexual violence has become more normal in civilian life," she said. "The scale of rape over Congo's years of war has made this crime seem more acceptable."

In war-hit South Kivu, women are subjected to sexual violence regardless of age, marital status or ethnicity, the report found. More than 5,000 people were raped there last year, according to the UN. The region is home to 5 million people, but only one hospital offers suitable treatment to rape victims.

Violence broke out in Congo after the 1994 Rwandan genocide spilled across the border. UN peacekeepers have been deployed since 1999 to help bring stability, but thousands of people are raped each year and sporadic fighting has continued.

President Joseph Kabila has asked the UN to draw up a schedule to withdraw its 20,000 peacekeeping mission by 2011, but some senior diplomats and UN officials have said that they are reluctant to do so.

Oxfam says it is vital that UN peacekeepers stay, given the security situation. But studies have found that when even UN-backed offensives are carried out, women become more vulnerable.

A UN security council delegation is due to arrive in Congo this week.

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