Introduction
Rape has increasingly been used as a tool of war, both in past and recent history. It was used by the Japanese, Nazi’s, and Soviets during the Second World War (Kirchner, 30). Today, rape is still used as a tool in conflicts in many countries.
However, rape cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo occur at the highest rate in the whole world. There have been conflicts in Congo since the 1990s and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped. Many more cases go unreported for fear of stigmatization and the realization of the fact that no action will be taken against the rapists (Kirchner 24).
Rape as a Tool of War
Rape is used as a tool to demoralize and stigmatize communities and families. The conflicts in Congo are mostly as a result of competition for natural resources. Most of these resources are minerals such as gold, tin, tantalum, and tungsten.
Armed groups have found rape to be a most effective tool for displacing communities from disputed areas. Sexual violence traumatizes the victims and once displaced, have no desire to return to the places where they were subjected to such atrocious violation. Rape affects not only the victim but the family and the entire community.
After watching their loved ones raped, the whole community is demoralized and consequently it disintegrates. Armed groups have successfully used rape to intimidate and control people. Many victims are sexually abused while their husbands and families are forced to watch. They often get pregnant from the rape and are rejected by their husbands and communities.
Rape is used as a tactic to humiliate families and communities, cause terror and force them into submission. The victims are further traumatized by their rejection by their families and they become more exposed to more sexual abuse (Human Rights Watch 16).
Sexual violence is a punishable crime according to both the International Human Rights law and the Congolese law. However, sexual violence crimes are continually committed by the Congolese army and the perpetrators go unpunished.
The Congolese army, particularly the 14th brigade, together with other armed groups continues to commit sexual crimes against women and girls all over the country. The soldiers ambush women on their way from the fields to look for food and rape them violently.
The cases are reported to the commanders but the perpetrators are not brought to justice. Therefore, many Congolese rape victims see no point in reporting the crimes since the offenders are not punished (Kirchner 39).
Congolese soldiers blame their poor living conditions as the cause of their raids on civilians. They can barely afford the basic needs. Their salaries are not sufficient to sustain their families and there are no military barracks. The soldiers have no access to proper housing, food, water, and medical care.
They get meager salaries that are sometimes stolen by the commanders. Other times, their salaries are not released for months. Moreover, they are forced to live away from their families for many years. There are no barracks where the soldiers can live with their families.
Some soldiers go through a lot of stress due to these conditions and start abusing drugs. However, the rapes committed by the soldiers cannot be excused because of their living conditions (Human Rights Watch 44).
Effects of Rape
Thousands of Congolese rape victims relate gruesome accounts of the ordeals that they went through. Women are raped as their children and husbands watch and most of them are left with serious injuries while others contract HIV/AIDS. Some women are captured and kept as sex slaves where they are continually gang-raped.
The effects of rape are devastating and include sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, physical damages, suicide, cervical cancer and trauma. Rape is a very traumatic experience and most victims never get over the experience.
They feel worthless and dejected and many of them end up committing suicide. They live with the shame of their families watching as they were raped (Human Rights Watch 16).
Rape victims suffer serious injuries to their genitals such as fistulas as a result of violent rape, usually by gangs, and the insertion of objects like guns, bayonets, and twigs into their genitals. Children born of rape increase the victims’ trauma as they are a constant reminder of the ordeal.
Such children are also mostly stigmatized and treated as outcasts. Women who are raped are rejected by their husbands and the girls find it hard to get husbands. Rape also brings fear to communities and they go on with their lives with the awareness of the looming danger.
This can lead to depression. It also affects the economic situation of communities as they are afraid to go on with their economic activities. People are afraid to leave their homes to go to work or school (Kirchner 25).
Conclusion
Rape is a human violation with far-reaching consequences, not only to the victims but to entire communities. Effective steps must be taken to stop the use of rape as a tool of war.
The perpetrators should be punished appropriately to discourage the vice. The victims should also be encouraged to speak out and seek legal redress and medical attention. In addition, communities should be sensitized to stop stigmatizing rape victims.
Works Cited
Human Rights Watch. Soldiers Who Rape, Commanders Who Condone: Sexual Violence and Military Reform in the Democratic Republic Of Congo. New York: Human Rights Watch, 2009. Print
Kirchner, Stefan. Wartime Rape: Sexual Terrorism In The Eastern Provinces Of The Democratic Republic Of Congo – International Law And Human Rights. Munich: GRIN Verlag, 2008. Print