At least 400 women are raped every month in the south eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) province of South Kivu. The rapists, mainly rebel militia and government soldiers, do not discriminate regardless of age, marital status or ethnicity in the province of 5 million residents. They also inflict all manner of sexual violence on the women.

According to a study carried out by Oxfam and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative in DR Congo, over 4,311 women had experienced sexual violence either in their homes, forests or in the fields.

The report that was released on April 15 shows that the incidence of rape spiked during military activities but rape by civilians is also going up.  The research found that less than one percent of rapes were perpetrated by civilians in 2004. By 2008, that proportion had gone up to 38 percent.

Krista Riddley, Oxfam’s Director of Humanitarian Policy, said: “Rape of this scale and brutality is scandalous. 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”.

The UN peace keepers are supposed to leave Congo on President Joseph Kabila’s request. 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.

Riddley called upon rich country donors together with the Congolese government to radically increase the medical services available for survivors of sexual violence in Congo’s remote towns and villages. “Every woman should be able to get the treatment she needs,” she said.

Susan Bartels, the study’s lead researcher from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, said, “This study confirms what has only been reported anecdotally until now: sexual violence has become more normal in civilian life. The scale of rape over Congo’s years of war has made this crime seem more acceptable. Although Congo has one of the most progressive laws on rape in Africa, few rapists are prosecuted. The law must be enforced and justice put within reach of survivors”. The Human Rights Watch specialist for Congo, believes that rape has been so widespread that “rape has become a defining characteristic” of the DRC war.

At least 57 percent of the rapes and assaults took place in the supposed safety of the family home at night, often in the presence of the victim’s husband and children. Up to 16 percent of the rapes took place in the fields while 15 percent were in the forest.

Sexual violence survivors reported that the majority of attacks occurred at night (57 percent). Just over one third (34 percent) of women reported that they were attacked during the day and 7 percent reported that they were attacked in the evening.

Human Rights Watch described the extraordinary brutality of rapes in DRC – girls as young as five and women as old as 80 were reportedly shot in the vagina or mutilated with knives and razor blades.

The Report shows stigma faced by these women and the problems they face getting medical care. Less than one percent went to Panzi hospital with their husbands and nine percent had been abandoned by their spouses. It was also discovered that most rape victims delayed seeking for treatment.  12 percent seek treatment within one month of the assault while 50 percent of women waited for over a year before seeking treatment with a significant number waiting for more than three years. Panzi being the only hospital offering services to the victims does not make it any better. The 334 bed hospital has only one trained gynecologist. The center admits between 10 to 12 new rape patients daily and others are advised to return the following day.

The report proposed that stringent measures be put in place to help women who were suffering including amending peacekeepers mandates to protect civilians from sexual violence , increasing provision of medical care for survivors of sexual violence, particularly in rural areas, ensuring that the protection provided by the UN peacekeepers and Congolese security services is tailored to local realities, and reforming the Congolese security sector and justice system to ensure that there is zero tolerance for rape.

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