Rape as a weapon of war in Congo

Girls as young as seven are being raped in Congo. I'm pissed and I've got something to say about it.

"While the primary responsibility for protection of civilians lies with the state, its national army and police force, clearly, we have also failed," said Atul Khare, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping. Khare is talking about the mass rapes that have taken place in DR Congo over the past several weeks.

500. This figure is staggering, but it's the most recent reported number of victims raped by Rwandan and Congolese rebels. Rape is being used as a weapon of war and innocent women, children and even young boys are suffering because of it. But this isn't anything new for Congo.

In 2009 alone there were 8,000 reported rapes in this region, a number which is probably far below what actually occurred. It's become known as the "rape capital of the world", where systematic gang rapes have become part of everyday life for some.

I was recently reading a BBC report that mentioned the story of a young girl, only 15 years old, who survived a brutal year as a sex slave in Congo:

'Her experiences exemplify this complex war raging against women. She was abducted by 10 rebels from the Interahamwe group accused of carrying out the genocide in neighbouring Rwanda. They kept her for about a year as a sex slave.

''They would rape me in turns. It got to a point where I did not feel pain.''

They fed her when they wished and gave her water from their gumboots to drink. She soon became pregnant. The rebels said she would be set free once she had given birth.

''One day they tied me to a tree and tried to pull the baby out. The blood... it just kept flowing.'

She says she can no longer feel pain and relates all this in a detached manner - cold and emotionless - and then ties a colourful wraparound around her waist and walks away."

When I first read this I could feel my eyes well up with tears. How could something like this happen? Sadly, her story isn't unique. Hundreds, even thousands of girls and women in Congo can relate to her story. And that makes me furious.

I keep coming back to that question: How can this happen? Of the 500 rapes reported, 242 were in and around Luvungi, a village not far from a UN peacekeepers' camp. Recent reports have surfaced claiming the UN was actually notified that rebel forces in the area were carrying out rape. Yet, nothing was done. (Although I should mention the UN is denying any such claims. See report.) Either way, the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in Congo, which costs more than a billion dollars a year, has failed to stop widespread violence against civilians.

So what is being done about these rapes, anything? I simply can't understand how the UN could not have known what was going on under their noses. And if the claims are true that they really weren't aware of these rapes, I have serious doubts about the UN's capability to execute it's mission. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly clear that the UN may be better suited to clean up after disasters, rather than prevent them.

I believe these rebels should be hunted down and justice served for those who so desperately deserve it. The sad truth is that may never happen and I can't help but wonder why justice seems to be a privilege of the rich?

(P.S. I want to make it clear that I have always been a big advocate for the UN. I have admired their work for many years, however I think it is important to raise critical questions such as these pertaining to the rapes in Congo.)