Democratic Republic of Congo: It is unbelievable to know that a country exists where authorities do not punish perpetrators of rape. In fact rape is so common that authorities make no effort to nab the culprits and bring down the crime.
As reported in news.com.au, victims remain mute spectators as their rapists walk around the country freely without any fear of persecution.
The victims have accepted the rapes as an unfortunate part of their lives and live on, despite society treating them as worthless human beings for a crime they were victims of.
Reports say that the Democratic Republic of Congo is the most dangerous place on earth for a woman. This is the reality of life in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where women don’t have a say against a crime as heinous as rape.
An Australian organization working for the betterment of women highlights the scourge of rape and sexual violence in the central African nation, which has a long and bloody history of war.
It is a country of more than 67 million people, 87 per cent of whom live on less than $1.45 a day.
The statistics are disturbing as 48 women are raped in the African country every hour. Poverty is a strong barrier against development, progress and most importantly justice.
Young girls, some of them even before they reach their teenage years are forced into prostitution. Soldiers gang-rape women in villages and settlements. The victims often fade away in silence, and try and recover alone in a society, which does not care for them.
The Australian organization gave first-hand accounts of such heinous incidents. A neighbour raped an orphaned 11-year-old girl when she was living with her grandmother.
Another neighbour helped to cover up the crime, by cleaning the girl and convincing others that she had fallen from a tree. “This perpetrator was just walking the streets with no fear at all,” the grandmother said.
When the grandmother went ahead and put in a complaint against the accused, she was targeted by the rapist’s family and threatened to revoke her complaint. When the grandmother refused to do so, she was ostracized from society and the old woman along with her granddaughter had to leave the community and build a life elsewhere.
The situation is not any better.
One can only hope that the world pays heed to the silent voices begging for justice and the condition in the country improves for a better future.
