War Against Women

The Use Of Rape As A Weapon In Congo's Civil War

(CBS)  This segment was originally broadcast on Jan. 13, 2008. It was updated on Aug. 14, 2008.

Right now there's a war taking place in the heart of Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and more people have died there than in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Darfur combined.

You probably haven't heard much about it, but as CNN's Anderson Cooper first reported last January, it's the deadliest conflict since World War II. Within the last ten years, more than five million people have died and the numbers keep rising.

As Cooper and a 60 Minutes team found when they went there a few months ago, the most frequent targets of this hidden war are women. It is, in fact, a war against women, and the weapon used to destroy them, their families and whole communities, is rape.

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Dr. Denis Mukwege is the director of Panzi Hospital in eastern Congo. In this war against women, his hospital is the frontline. One of the latest victims he’s treating is Sifa M'Kitambala. She was raped just two days before the team arrived by soldiers who raided her village.

"They just cut her at many places," Dr. Mukwege explains.

Sifa was pregnant, but that didn't stop her rapists. Armed with a machete, they even cut at her genitals.

In the last ten years in Congo, hundreds of thousands of women have been raped, most of them gang raped. Panzi Hospital is full of them.

"All these women have been raped?" Cooper asked Dr. Mukwege, standing near a very large group of women waiting.

All the women, the doctor says, have been patients of his.

Within a week, Dr. Mukwege says this room will be filled with new faces, new victims.

"You know, they're in deep pain. But it's not just physical pain. It's psychological pain that you can see. Here at the hospital, we've seen women who've stopped living," Dr. Mukwege explains.

And not all the people the hospital treats are adults. "There are children. I think the youngest was three years old," Mukwege says. "And the oldest was 75."

To understand what is happening here, you have to go back more than a decade, when the genocide that claimed nearly a million lives in neighboring Rwanda spilled over into Congo. Since then, the Congolese army, foreign-backed rebels, and home-grown militias have been fighting each other over power and this land, which has some of the world's biggest deposits of gold, copper, diamonds, and tin. The United Nations was called in and today their mission is the largest peacekeeping operation in history.

Since 2005, some 17,000 UN troops and personnel have cobbled together a fragile peace. Last year they oversaw the first democratic election in this country in 40 years. But now all they have accomplished is at risk. Fighting has broken out once again in eastern Congo and the region threatens to slip into all-out war.

Each new battle is followed by pillaging and rape; entire communities are terrorized. Forced to flee their homes, people take whatever they can, and walk for miles in the desperate hope of finding food and shelter. Over the last year, more than 500,000 people have been uprooted. A fraction of them make it to cramped camps, where they depend on UN aid to survive.

One camp Cooper visited sprang up just two months before. It was already overcrowded, but more people kept arriving. They would go there seeking refuge, a safe haven, but the truth is in Congo, for women, there’s no such thing. Even in these supposedly protected camps, women are raped every single day.

"Has rape almost become the norm here?" Cooper asks Anneka Van Woudenberg, who is the senior Congo researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"I think because of the widespread nature of the war, because there has been so much violence, rape is now on a daily basis - rape is the norm," Van Woudenberg replies.

"Women get raped in wars all the time. How is it different here?" Cooper asks.

"I think what's different in Congo is the scale and the systematic nature of it, indeed, as well, the brutality. This is not rape because soldiers have got bored and have nothing to do. It is a way to ensure that communities accept the power and authority of that particular armed group. This is about showing terror. This is about using it as a weapon of war," she explains.

It's hard to imagine this war happening in the midst of such breathtaking natural beauty and abundance. But after decades of dictatorship and corruption, the country is broken. Most of the fighting and the raping takes place in remote areas difficult to get to.

Cooper and the team headed to an isolated village in the mountains in eastern Congo called Walungu. For years there's been armed groups fighting in this region; thousands of men emerge from the forest to terrorize villages and steal women. Congo’s government seems unable or unwilling to stop them.

[nzunzu]

A powerful story. The war in a congo has always been neglected, and I was suprise that 60 minutes covered the story but forgot to mention the role the Australian mining companies have played in the rape of women in Congo, e.g. Anvil. The minister for foreign affairs should be ashamed for the "Africa DownUnder 2009" conference on 3-4 September 2009 which was about discussing how Australian mining companies are benefiting from the war in Congo. If you are interested in what happening in Congo, you can join us at the richmong town hall melbourne details at:
http://www.allag.org.au/

As a Congolese Australian I am privileged to be living here in Australia

[ctubbsmd]

When there is conflict between parties of unequal power, the weaker party often uses indirect but injurious strategies -- such as, in the political front, terrorism.

This situation or conflict in situations of unequal power occurs in male-female relationships. There are times when women engage in demeaning, insulting, and hurtful verbal attacks, and then are physically injured by their opponent.

To be sure, this does not justify the male's injurious response. However, if it is recognized that male violence is a possibility in a relationship, it might be good to discuss and consider the techniques the weaker female uses in expressing her disagreement or frustration.

[globalgram]

To Noella4 and Lalinda4:

Another group working to help women in the Congo is Run for Congo Women (www.runforcongowomen.org). All funds raised go to Women for Women International''s sponsorship program. Congolese women face the WORST conditions for women on the planet (UN, 7/2007) while recovering from these inconceivably brutal, mutilating gang rapes.

It isn''t only one town where 90% of the women have been gang raped...there are many, many such towns and villages.

These are brave, compassionate women who have nothing. We can give them the tools to help their children survive by signing up for a 1 year sponsorship.

Lisa Shannon, founder of Run for Congo Women, recently wrote: "One of our Run for Congo Women ''sisters'' that I met when I was in Congo this spring represents what it is all about. She was only 22. Her mother had died several years ago. In her own words, her father was ''useless.'' So at 19 or 20, she became the sole support and mother for her 6 young brothers and sisters. Struggling to find work, she moved them to the town of Walungu. Though she was doing her very best, they never had enough. When two of the children became seriously ill, she had no way to pay for medical treatment. She could only watch them die, completely powerless. Now that she is enrolled in Women for Women''s sponsorship program, she is over the moon. She finally has support in finding viable ways to raise her remaining brothers and sisters!

[pvinck-2009]

One out of five people living in Eastern Democratic Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has witnessed sexual violence; and one in eight has experienced sexual violence, according to a new survey undertaken in the region we released today (8/19/2008). Nearly half the adult population has faced death threats, suffered beatings or has been enslaved by armed groups. One third of the 2,620 people interviewed reported having been abducted for a week or more.
Those are among the key findings of %u2018Living with Fear%u2019, a 60-page report based on the survey conducted by the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley; the Payson Center for International Development at Tulane University; and the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).
The report is available at http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/siteview.cgi/hrc/reports/2008_08Living-with-Fear-DRC.

Or
http://www.hrcberkeley.org/pdfs/LivingWithFear-DRC.pdf

[wonderfulyfe]

"There were many ways of not burdening one%u201Ds conscience, of shunning responsibility, looking away, keeping mum. When the unspeakable truth of the Holocaust then became known at the end of the war, all too many of us claimed that they had not known anything about it or even suspected anything." Richard von Weizsaecker

[wonderfulyfe]

Powerful title and report, it brought tears to my family%u2019s eyes yet again.

Adolf Hitler%u2019s political aim was %u201CRule or Ruin.%u201D Your crucial report revealed another %u201Cholocaust%u201D is happening now in the Congo. Systematic ruin. Millions killed and suffering continues. And by literally destroying vulnerable women and children this is the definition genocide. Brutal and unspeakable.

In the meantime rape and war victims need love and empathy. This report definitely gave beautiful examples of this.

I was also touched to the heart to hear the gentle words of dear Lucienne. Your interview with her is unforgettable.

These dear brave women, young and old deserve so much kindness and help after all they have suffered. Thank you for showing us, as viewers, ways we can do our part in helping too.

Thank you so much Anderson Cooper and %u201C60 Minutes%u201D for speaking up on behalf of these vulnerable fellow human family members. I wish you and all involved in helping many blessings. I cannot not give up hope of a better world where we can all learn to love each other on this beautiful earth.



"There were many ways of not burdening one%u201Ds conscience, of shunning responsibility, looking away, keeping mum. When the unspeakable truth of the Holocaust then became known at the end of the war, all too many of us claimed that they had not known anything about it or even suspected anything." Richard von Weizsaecker

Peace......Psalm 37:11

[palitikal]

I think that the first positive step would be for the women and children to learn to protect/ defend themselves. They must learn how to use their strength in numbers. At some point, they have got to stop running from their enemies and start fighting back. Otherwise, they will be intimidated and abused until they die. Although I do believe in charity, I have never believed in financing poverty or government greed, which is what the aid organizations end up doing once the government finds out that they exist and have valuable resources. They''re going to have to do it themselves since they can''t find anyone to do it for them. Hopefully, one day, the government of Congo will realize that it''s got to learn to take care of its own people. It is totally unfair of them to abandon their constituents and allow them to be abused and displaced onto the poverty rolls of other countries. If they have money to buy guns and support war ten then have money to help their own people.

[palitikal]

I think that the first positive step would be for the women and children to learn to protect/ defend themselves. They must learn how to use their strength in numbers. At some point, they have got to stop running from their enemies and start fighting back. Otherwise, they will be intimidated and abused until they die. Although I do believe in charity, I have never believed in financing poverty or government greed, which is what the aid organizations end up doing once the government finds out that they exist and have valuable resources. They''re going to have to do it themselves since they can''t find anyone to do it for them. Hopefully, one day, the government of Congo will realize that it''s got to learn to take care of its own people. It is totally unfair of them to abandon their constituents and allow them to be abused and displaced onto the poverty rolls of other countries. If they have money to buy guns and support war ten then have money to help their own people.

[l3477]

I am rarely horrified by a story on TV but the Women Against War has shocked me. Thank you Anderson Cooper and 60 Minutes for helping to spread this information around the world. I am sponsoring 1 woman and hope to encourage my friends to do the same - through Women For Women International. I hope 60 Minutes will continue to update the public on this outrage. Unbelievable.

[globalgram]

I have sent several requests to the managers of this posting spot asking for them to remove the multiple postings of the same email, but they have removed all of my OTHER postings and left the multiple ones. I apolgize to everyone...but it is frustrating to have my comments deleted. They are not trivial or off point.

[lalinda4]

Dear Sir,
Can you imagine that, one city had over 90% of the women raped? That''s why Senator Obama should pick a woman for Vice President and it should be Hillary Clinton. If this would happen, then you, in the media, should ask the candidates for a solution to the problem. While we have a problem with our economy, they even have a worse one and a lot of women with no education. Good Story.

[noella4]

WHAT CAN WE DO AS AMERICANS TO HELP IN THIS TERRIBLE WAR? I BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD REQUEST THAT ANDERSON COOPER SHOULD DO A POSITIVE STORY ABOUT WHAT INDIVIDULES ARE DOING ABOUT THE CONGO.ie:I FOUND A SMALL FOUNDATION AT www.gmalaikaf.org. I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS FOUNDATION TRYING TO HELP THE CONGO UNTIL ONE OF MY FRIENDS SAID "LOOK AT THIS WEB PAGE" WE SHOULD HAVE ANDERSON COOPER DO A STORY ON THE FOUNDER OF THIS FOUNDATION:"NOELLA COURSARIS" WHEN YOU READ HER STORY AND SEE THE PASSION OF HER CONVICTION TO THE CONGO, ALL OF AMERICA WILL SUPPORT HER IF AMERICANS KNOW ABOUT HER.. ANDERSON COOPER, DO A INDEPTH PROFILE ON THIS ADMIRED PERSON NOELLA COURSARIS AND LEAVE US AMERICANS WITH AN OPTION TO HELP THE CONGO.www.gmalaikaf.org and give.

[globalgram]

Is there any way that 60 Minutes/CBS News would allow a organization to use their video footage of the Anderson report to educate others about what is going on in Congo? It is powerful and motivating. How could we purchase a copy of the video report?

[globalgram]

When that many women are suffering the way the women of Eastern Congo are, the survival of their children, by definition, is in peril. Add the total breakdown of infrastructure in DRCongo to that and you get the staggering infant mortality rate (6 out of 10 children die before the age of 5) of DR Congo... 4 times the death rate of Africa.

Again, where is the international community? Where is the UN? The UN mandate needs to be greatly expanded, with MANY more peacekeeping troops being deployed, and the INTERAHAMWE need to be dealt with if the women and children of Congo are EVER to be safe. It isn''t just the Interahamwe doing the raping by any means, but they are the pretext for what everyone else is doing, so that would be a beginning.

[globalgram]

When that many women are suffering the way the women of Eastern Congo are, the survival of their children, by definition, is in peril. Add the total breakdown of infrastructure in DRCongo to that and you get the staggering infant mortality rate (6 out of 10 children die before the age of 5) of DR Congo... 4 times the death rate of Africa.

Again, where is the international community? Where is the UN? The UN mandate needs to be greatly expanded, with MANY more peacekeeping troops being deployed, and the INTERAHAMWE need to be dealt with if the women and children of Congo are EVER to be safe. It isn''t just the Interahamwe doing the raping by any means, but they are the pretext for what everyone else is doing, so that would be a beginning.

[appleness]

Google Sherry Peel Jackson, Pretty slave girl, former IRS CPA, Fraud investigator says IRS is biggest fraud. Imprisoned for free speech. Please expose this political prisoner from Atlanta. Thanks

[globalgram]

To oleander8 & gurusavant: Yes, rape has been a major issue and weapon of war forever and similar atrocities are happening in other wars now, but not on the scale that it is happening in DRCongo. Hundreds of thousands of women repeatedly gang raped, mutilated, is a conservative estimate. It is more likely well over a million. Lucienne''s story is all too common in DRCongo.

But when 5.4 million people have died and 45,000 continue to die every month, 45% of those being children UNDER 5, when such rapes are pandemic AND the world remains indifferent, the story is also about US. It is not a black story. It is a story about OUR lack of humanity. This is everybody''s responsbility. These are the worst conditions for women anywhere, anytime.

[globalgram]

My apologies to everyone for the multiple posts. I had no idea my post was actually posting, since I always received a message that the PUBLISH function had been disabled and would re reenabled in a short while to assure that everyone can post. I would never have published the same message again and again.

[globalgram]

To sharynmadiso, RE sending $$ to Lucienne: To give much to one woman makes her a target for additional attacks & seriously jeopardizes her & her family''s safety. (My daughter Lisa, founder of Run for Congo Women, has visited Congo twice.) It is best to give thru a well vetted program. (Women for Women Int''l received the most prestigious award possible for non-profits in 2006 & is highly trustworthy.)

The Women for Women Int''l program is excellent. Of the $27/month it costs to sponsor a woman for a year, $10/month cash goes directly to her (2 WfW employees witness and sign that she receives it), $5/month is given to her in a lump sum when she graduates. The rest provides literacy & human rights training, group work with women who have similar experiences & training in how to run a small business. The $60 cash received at the end of the yr is seed money to start a small business. Sometimes a woman must use it for meds to save a child''s life. I have sponsored 14 women in 3 years by giving up my latte a day habit. Join me! (See www.runforcongowomen.org). It''s the best money I have ever spent!

Educate your community, your group. Ask others to sponsor. Do not forget the hundreds of thousands of other women like Lucienne - or their children!

[beinbeauty]

I agree! Where are the Oprahs, Gloria Steinems, Jane Fondas, Naomi Worlfs and all of those African-Americans who have celebrity status, wealth and influence around the world???? What is wrong with this world? Did we not learn from our own "days of slavery?" and holicost? If we could get those whose foremothers and forefathers suffered at the hands of evil dictators and sick economic plans (i.e.: jewish people and african americans) to draw more attention and speak against this, perhaps it wouldn''t be a silent holicost. Thank you Anderson Cooper for such excellent reporting and shedding light on such unimaginable and horrific crimes against women and children. I am so angered by the Congo''s refusal to do anything about this diabolical and evil cancer growing right under their greedy noses. Perhaps President Bush could spend even a fraction of the billions he''s put into the Iraq war, the Congo would have a fighting chance at resurrection. The US Gov''t. rightly rushed to speak up for Georgia against Russia recently, why not the Congo??? The intense post-traumatic stress that these woman and children will be facing for generations is mind-boggling...I applaud Women for Women International and Anderson Cooper for stepping in and taking charge of such a disgusting situation.