Victims Testify to End Sexual Violence in the Congo

(c) Amnesty International


Unimaginable and unacceptable.” These are the words Margot Wallstrom, the U.N. special envoy for sexual violence and conflict, recently told the U.N. Security Council after finding out that Congolese government soldiers may have been the perpetrators of murder and rape against at least 200 women, in Luvungi, Congo.  And all the while, U.N. peace keepers were stationed 20 miles away.

After the mass rape, the United Nations released a report on the incident detailing the failures of the peacekeeping mission in not acting on reports of increased treatments of rape in a nearby hospital.

Victims are now testifying in front of a U.N. panel, but moving forward, the key to ending mass violence against women in the Congo is ending impunity for the offenders.

The international community and specifically the United States must play a lead role in demanding an end to impunity for the horrific sexual violence that reoccurs in Congo.  We are calling for an urgent investigation of government soldiers who failed to protect civilians or perpetrated crimes themselves.  In addition, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo must implement a plan to better protect Congolese civilians and ensure that an atrocity like this never happens again.

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5 thoughts on “Victims Testify to End Sexual Violence in the Congo

  1. The work AI does do it no doubt worthwhile.
    However, there are many who would like to know why AI consistently ignores the issues of the North of Ireland, in particular the treatment of Irish POWs/political prisoners.
    This issue has been widely known for decades, yet what has AI done to help these people and their families ?
    We would really like to know your criteria so we may try to understand your inaction. Many people and peoples suffering from various oppressions, tortures and injustices have been championed by AI, so why not these causes and peoples ?
    Thank you for your time.

  2. The work AI does do it no doubt worthwhile.
    However, there are many who would like to know why AI consistently ignores the issues of the North of Ireland, in particular the treatment of Irish POWs/political prisoners.
    This issue has been widely known for decades, yet what has AI done to help these people and their families ?
    We would really like to know your criteria so we may try to understand your inaction. Many people and peoples suffering from various oppressions, tortures and injustices have been championed by AI, so why not these causes and peoples ?
    Thank you for your time.

  3. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to testify in front of a U.N. panel about the traumatic experiences these people have faced. They have been denied being able to be human. They have been raped, killed and tortured for years. It is extremely important that they are testifying because it may make the international community move forward on this issue. We all can make sure that this happens. We can pressure our elected officials and host events to make sure that our communities are aware of this. It is unimaginable what the Congolese go through, and I want to help with this fight to make sure the international community does something for them.

  4. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to testify in front of a U.N. panel about the traumatic experiences these people have faced. They have been denied being able to be human. They have been raped, killed and tortured for years. It is extremely important that they are testifying because it may make the international community move forward on this issue. We all can make sure that this happens. We can pressure our elected officials and host events to make sure that our communities are aware of this. It is unimaginable what the Congolese go through, and I want to help with this fight to make sure the international community does something for them.

  5. Will any of those men pay for what they did? How come we keep talking about things like this but there is never anything said about the punishment these men get?

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