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ABSTRACT
Stereotypical beliefs about male honor often impede the social reintegration of rape victims. We conducted a qualitative study in Kalehe territory in the province of South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, to understand strategies that facilitate the continuity of married life despite dishonor due to the rape of their wife. We interviewed men and women in eight couples separately. Our respondents implemented marital survival mechanisms that had not been thought out or planned. These strategies mainly involved a symbolic acceptance of women after rape. In our sample, some men remained in their marriages despite the perceived economic, sexual, and identity-related emasculation that made them less than men. Others engaged in polygamy. The presence of children born of rape made it difficult to their mothers for social reintegration. However, female children born from rape seemed to better reintegration than boys because of house chores, and marriage, from which their stepfather would benefit a bride price. The boys, on the other hand, were considered as herders and a potential danger associated with their biological fathers. In conclusion, our study shows that, although women reintegrated their matrimonial homes, they experience violence due to the hegemonic masculine socialization and patriarchal foundations.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the grant funding provided by the Centre d’Excellence Denis Mukwege of the Université Evangélique en Afrique.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Ethical standard and informed consent
The present study was approved by the National Committee of Health Ethics under the number CNES001/DPSK/177PP/2020. All participants provided informed consent before the discussion to be done.