The Democratic Republic of Congo has had a devastating, ongoing civil war in which rape is a common weapon against women and young girls. The sexual violence both leaves the women traumatized and the resulting stigma creates societal problems for the women. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced $17 million is now available to fight sexual violence in the Congo, including initiatives to train all-female police units, train doctors, and supply rape victims with video cameras to document violence.
Earlier in 2009, Senators Barbara Boxer and Russ Feingold (D-WI) chaired a joint Foreign Relations hearing that focused on rape and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and other conflict zones. Senator Jeannne Shaheen (D-NH) joined Senators Boxer and Feingold in contacting Secretary of State Clinton and asked that the US develop a plan to train and deploy Congolese surgeons to treat victims of sexual violence and develop all-female police units to deal with sexual violence. Secretary Clinton acted upon this request and allocated $17 million for the effort.
Rape is a horrific crime anywhere in the world, but is increasingly being used as a tactic in war zones. UNICEF estimates that "hundreds of thousands" of women and girls had been raped in Congo since 1994, with over 1,000 raped each month (12,000 rapes per year.) In recent months, tactics are changing to increase the terror and men are being raped. Currently, the United Nations has deployed a peacekeeping force with over 18,000 troops with an additional 3000 scheduled for deployment.
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