Sec. Of State Clinton Announces Plan To Fight Sexual Violence In Congo

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Public Health
Article Date: 13 Aug 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday announced a $17 million plan to fight sexual violence in eastern Congo, an issue she called "evil in its basest form," the New York Times reports. Clinton's visit to Congo is part of a seven-nation tour of Africa that aims to strengthen U.S. relations with strategic African countries, as well as to seek resolutions to Africa's wars. According to the Times, the worst conflict on the continent is in eastern Congo, where "various armed groups often vent their rage against women." The United Nations calls Congo the "rape capital of the world," and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped in the past 10 years. Various peace efforts and diplomatic visits have thus far done little to stem the violence, the Times reports. Clinton said that it is "almost impossible to describe the level of suffering," adding that the rape epidemic in the region "is just horrific."

Clinton said, "This problem is too big for one country to solve alone." Under the new plan, the U.S. government would train physicians, supply rape survivors with video cameras to document violence and send military engineers to help build facilities. In addition, Congolese police officers, especially female officers, would receive training. "I spoke at length with [Congolese] President Kabila about the steps that need to be taken to protect civilians," Clinton said, adding, "We believe there should be no impunity for the sexual- and gender-based violence, and there must be arrests and punishment because that runs counter to peace." She said that she urged the Congolese government to do more to protect its citizens and prosecute offenders in the nation's military. According to the Times, the rapes are often perpetrated by Congolese soldiers, and the military is "notorious as one of the least disciplined, poorest paid armies anywhere."

Clinton also met with several rape survivors and toured a refugee camp that houses 18,000 displaced people. She traveled to Abuja, Nigeria, on Tuesday night and is scheduled to talk with Nigerian officials on Wednesday (Gettleman, New York Times, 8/12).

Funding Should Be Used To Prevent Rape in Congo, Advocate Says

NPR's "All Things Considered" on Tuesday included a discussion with Anneke Van Woudenberg, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, about the rape epidemic in Congo and Clinton's visit. Van Woudenberg, who spends about half her time in Congo, said that the U.N. estimates at least 200,000 women and girls have been raped since 1998 but that many advocates in the country think the number "probably is the tip of the iceberg." She noted that the U.N. figures are based on the women "who have come forward, who are coming to health centers, who are seeking medical treatment."

When asked how the funding from Clinton's plan "would be best spent," Van Woudenberg said there is an "increasing amoun[t] of aid money going into helping the victims of sexual violence," which is "good, and these are people who definitely need assistance." However, Human Rights Watch believes that "a lot more money needs to go into stopping rape," including "ensuring that there's justice" and providing "better protection mechanisms for women and girls." Van Woudenberg added, "We shouldn't just be helping the victims. We need to ensure that there are less victims in the future" (Block, "All Things Considered," NPR, 8/11).

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