OP-ED: Act Now, Act Big to End Sexual Violence in DRC

Former child soliders in the DRC. Credit: Einberger/argum/EED/IPSBy Babatunde Osotimehin and Zainab BanguraUNITED NATIONS, Nov 6 2013 (IPS) Imagine an orphanage where over 300 children born out of rape have been abandoned because of the shame and stigma associated with sexual violence. Imagine a town where, in the last year, 11 infants between the ages of six months and one year, and 59 small children from one to three years old, have been raped. What does the future of these children hold? The story of sexual violence in conflict is as old as war itself. It knows no boundaries – location, ethnicity, religion, or age. We must be loud and clear: it will be prosecuted. It will be punished. The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) know all too well the pain and suffering that comes with sexual violence.  According to a recent report by the Ministry of Gender, in 2012 alone there were 15,654 reported cases of sexual violence – a 52 percent increase from 2011. Of these, 98 percent were perpetrated against females. In conflict-affected contexts in DRC, the average age of survivors is less than 21, with a third of all survivors falling between 12 and 17 years of age. In 2012, 82 percent of all survivors had not completed primary school. These are not just abstract numbers; these are children born of rape who are abandoned, women and girls who struggle with the debilitating physical and emotional repercussions day in and day out, and men and boys who suffer...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Africa Armed Conflicts Civil Society Conferences Crime & Justice Featured Gender Gender Violence Global Governance Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Peace TerraViva Europe TerraViva United Nations Women Source Type: news