The Worst Place In The World To Be A Woman

To mark International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women, Caritas Australia has released a shocking report detailing the extent of sexual conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Approximately 48 rapes per hour occur in the country, which has a long history of sexual crime.

Caritas Australia is trying to bring this unimaginable statistic to light by way of a report titled Fearless Voices: speaking up for peace, equality and justice in the DRC.

"This document highlights the scourge of rape and sexual violence in a country known as the most dangerous place to be a women," says Caritas Australia.

The program's co-ordinator for the DRC, Lulu Mitshabu, added that it was more dangerous to be a woman than a solider in Congo.

"My country has been ravaged by more than a century of exploitation and almost two decades of war," explained Mitshabu. "One of the greatest tragedies of this conflict is relentless, calculated and brutal violence against women and girls.

"A recent study found that 48 women are raped in the DRC every hour. And yet stigma, discrimination and persistent impunity for sexual violence and other grave human rights violations remains the norm."

Sexual violence is used as a means to control the country's extensive natural wealth, said Mitshabu, explaining that if a woman is raped, she is no longer viewed as valuable - and her attacker often goes unpunished.

"It's a way to control people and control resources. By destroying the women, we are destroying the whole family. If the woman is raped, she doesn't have any value anymore. They will be chased out of their home. And the husband will move out because he needs to hide his face. This destroys families and tears communities apart, which allows others to take control of the sought-after land.

"When women's bodies are a battleground and rape is used as a weapon of war, it is time for solidarity and action."

Caritas Australia is putting pressure on the Australian Government to publicly condemn sexual violence and violations of human rights in Congolese communities, and bolster the global effort to disarm the country.

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