[AfricaRealities] Fw: *DHR* DR Congo: The worst place in the world to be a woman

[AfricaRealities] Fw: DHR DR Congo: The worst place in the world to be a woman

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From: "Jean Bosco Sibomana sibomanaxyz999@gmail.com [Democracy_Human_Rights]" <Democracy_Human_Rights@yahoogroupes.fr>
To: Sibomana Jean Bosco <Sibomanaxyz999@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, 25 November 2014, 21:32
Subject: *DHR* DR Congo: The worst place in the world to be a woman

Democratic Republic of Congo: The worst place in the world to be a woman
1 HOUR AGO NOVEMBER 26, 2014 7:44AM
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Rwandan Militia hiding out in Congo mountains
IN 2014, there is still a place in the world where rape against women is so common that the perpetrators are not pursued by the authorities.
The victims of sexual violence are considered worthless after the act, and the abusers can carry on with their lives without consequence.
It is the most dangerous place on Earth to be a woman today, where it is more risky to be a female than it is to be a soldier.
This is the reality of life in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Released for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Caritas Australia's report highlights the scourge of rape and sexual violence in the central African nation, which has a long and bloody history of war.
It is a country of more than 67 million people, 87 per cent of whom live on less than $1.45 a day.
But the report reveals another shocking statistic that makes the reality of life in the DRC unthinkable: An estimated 48 women are raped in the country every hour.
The document, entitled "Fearless Voices", is a litany of horrors: Girls forced into prostitution, women pack raped by soldiers, abused mothers forced to recover alone.
Caritas Australia's Lulu Mitshabu, who fled the DRC 24 years ago, interviewed women from the war-torn North Kivu province, who gave first-hand accounts their experiences.
"Over 50 women were interviewed and they all said the same thing: that violence perpetrated against women is on the increase," she said.
WOMEN SHARE THEIR STORIES
Caritas Australia has established listening houses in the Democratic Republic of Congo to allow victims of rape to share their stories. Source: Supplied
One story that stuck with Mrs Mitshabu was that of an orphaned 11-year-old girl who was raped by a neighbour when she was living with her grandmother. Another neighbour helped to cover up the crime, by cleaning the girl and convincing others that she had fallen from a tree.
"This perpetrator was just walking the streets with no fear at all," she said.
After Caritas encouraged authorities investigate, the grandmother was targeted.
"The family of this man came and terrorised the grandmother and tried to force her to withdraw her complaint," Mrs Mitshabu said. "So many people live with that fear."
The grandmother was forced to leave her community but Caritas has since helped her gain skills in making baskets, and the granddaughter has received counselling and is back at school.
In May 2013, Mrs Mitshabu met a young woman who had been abducted and forced into prostitution.
"For more than a month, she was raped by her abductors and forced to cook and care for them," she said.
"She eventually escaped, pregnant, with no family and with no support.
"Her perpetrators were never charged; they remain free to commit the same atrocities in a country that tolerates prolific sexual abuse."
In some cases where a woman has been raped, the family will negotiate with the perpetrator to marry her.
"So they pay them to marry this young girl who has no choice and no say in it because, once she has been raped, she is worthless," he said.
"There is no punishment or consequences. It's becoming like a norm. This is a crime you can get away with easily."
SO, WHY IS IT SUCH A PROBLEM IN THE DRC?
The most dangerous place on Earth to be a woman is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Source:ThinkStock
Mrs Mitshabu linked the sexual violence to the battle to control the country's extensive natural wealth.
The nation is rich in agricultural products, and in valuable minerals, such as gold, cobalt and copper, many of which are used in products we buy in Australia, such as mobile phones and other electronic gadgets.
She said the culture of violence against women was part of this battle for resources.
"By destroying the women, we are destroying the whole family. If the woman is raped, she doesn't have any value anymore. They will be chased out of their home. And the husband will move out because he needs to hide his face," she said.
This destroys families and tears communities apart, which allows others to take control of the sought-after land.
"It's a way to control people and control resources."
LULU'S MITSHABU'S STORY
Lulu Mitshabu meets rape survivor Vumiliya outside the city of Goma. Source: Supplied
Mrs Mitshabu has her own horror story of fleeing the DRC with little more than her young children and the clothes on her back.
She escaped in 1990 when the country was known as Zaire and controlled by a dictatorship.
She was persecuted for working for a women's rights organisation, and one day the police captured her husband in an effort to silence her.
"I got in so much trouble for speaking out that I had to flee my country to protect my life," she said.
Pregnant and with her six- and four-year-old daughters with her, Mrs Mitshabu made the split-second decision to flee to Zambia because she knew that if she went home, her life would be over.
"So I just left. I had no money, I just headed to the nearest exit," she said.
"I lost contact with any members of my family because I knew that if I kept in touch (the authorities) would find me."
She spent months in a refugee camp agonising over the fate of her husband. With every intake of new asylum seekers, she hoped he would be among them.
Now living a "wonderful" life in Australia … Caritas Australia program co-ordinator Lulu Mitshabu.Source: Supplied
"Every day we waited and every day we were disappointed. I was expecting him to die, but one day my husband appeared," Mrs Mitshabu said.
"He had been tortured and humiliated but, by miracle of God, he was saved."
A chance meeting with the first secretary of the Australian High Commissioner to Zambia at church led to the family being granted refugee status in Australia in 1991.
She has since made it her mission to defend the rights of women.
"I made the promise to myself that if God has made this opportunity for me to live democratically and safe in Australia, I will work to help other women around the world … I will speak for them and I will give them a voice," she said.
And it's a commitment she has made good on, returning to the Democratic Republic of Congo in her work for Caritas Australia.
Mrs Mitshabu now lives with her husband and six daughters in Canberra.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Today's report calls for an end to systemic rape and violence perpetrated against women in the DRC's culture of silence, impunity and corruption.
The report recommends that the Australian Government:
● Publicly condemn sexual violence and violations of human rights in Congolese communities
● Bolster the global effort to disarm the country
● Ensure that Australian mining companies operating in the country are transparent and accountable in their ventures to ensure the people can harness the country's resources for development.
Mrs Mitshabu said violence against women was a "global pandemic".
"It's time that it stopped (because) it prevents women from living a dignified life and impedes them from meeting their full potential," she said.
"When women's bodies are a battleground and rape is used as a weapon of war, it is time for action."
Read more at the Caritas Australia website.

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SIBOMANA Jean Bosco
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