Rape As A Weapon Of War On The Rise In DR Congo

A 38-year-old woman cleans her own dishes after her fourth fistula repair surgery in HEAL Africa hospital, Goma February 5, 2009. UNICEF estimates over 1,000 women and girls are raped per month in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Credit: Reuters/Alissa Everett

U.N. Fears Congo Pullout Will Hurt Fight Against Rape -- New York Times/Reuters

KINSHASA, April 19 (Reuter) - Congolese laws against sexual violence are not being implemented and a withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers from the country would make the struggle against endemic rape "a lot more difficult," the U.N. said.

Margot Wallstrom, the U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict, is visiting Congo, where thousands of women are raped every year, as the U.N. tries to persuade the government not to demand a hasty withdrawal of the U.N. force.

Democratic Republic of Congo has advanced legislation in place to outlaw sexual violence but Wallstrom said the country's capacity to implement it was "near zero."

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More News On The Spread Of Sexual Violence In DR Congo

Sexual Violence on the Rise in Congo -- Harvard Crimson
New Report Shows Shocking Pattern Of Rape In Eastern Congo -- Eurasia Review
DR Congo rape crisis 'increasing' despite peacekeepers, Oxfam report says -- The Telegraph
Study: Civilian rape skyrockets in Congo's east -- AP
Congo report shows rape is widespread -- The Guardian
Gang Rape Epidemic Cripples Congo -- Newser
Governor General Of Canada Delivers Plea For African Women -- Gov Monitor
Michaëlle Jean urges Congo to stop rape -- Toronto Star